My name is Omen Cross, and I am a Satanist. But I am definitely not your average, run-of-the-mill type of Satanist. I don’t subscribe to the Lies that have been spoken throughout the Ages of Humanity, nor do I allow myself to be forced into claiming things which I do not believe. I have defended my faith, as well as my Father’s Name, against all sorts of opposition. So, prior to criticizing the story that you read, try to put yourself in my place in the story. Live my life, see as I have, then begin to speak. I do not bother people with what I believe they are doing wrong in their lives, and I expect the same courtesy to be shown. I was kind enough to allow this story to be read at all, without demanding huge sums of money for it. Act like you have some decency and intelligence, and try to read the story as it is written. If you are the type of person that likes to start problems for the sake of doing so, put this book down and walk away. You will light fires that you cannot control, and I will not be responsible for you being burnt by them. As for everyone else, my Brothers and Sisters in the Father especially, I hope that this story allows each of you some new level of Understanding in your own lives, that you might more easily be able to walk the path laid before you. My journey was hard, and cost me more than I ever expected. I would ask that each of you take this into account as well in your lives, for many are not truly ready to serve. For those that choose to, I also ask that this story not be distributed aside from the ways in which I personally do so. It is too dangerous to just toss around. Remember, discretion is the better part of Valor. I’m sure this will be understood, as well as many other things, once you read the story I have for you, a tale of Broken Justice…

The Way

1

The soldier stared at his cell phone. Despite being a soldier in the United States Army, his life was much less than one of honor. For his weight issues, coupled with his high intelligence and attitude, made him a regular target for the Sergeants. Also these issues seemed to cause problems with his wife as well. For she wanted more, wanted him to be a Sergeant as well. Not for the leadership, not for the ability to influence change, but solely that she might have more money to spend. The soldier’s life was in torment, and he had begged for a way out. A way to change it all, so that his life would be worth something real.

For years this soldier had called himself a Satanist, but only behind closed doors. The main reason was a realization the soldier came to in his youth. It happened when he lived with his grandmother. One Sunday morning, she awoke him for church. But he refused to go, both on that day and ever again. When asked why he replied,”According to both the Bible and the words of the Pastors, the way in which I live will send me to Hell. But I do not believe the way in which I live is wrong. I harm no one intentionally, I steal from no one, and I am not afraid to put effort in to make something happen. So, if I cannot believe myself to be wrong, I cannot and will not change the behavior. Thus I am destined for Hell, and going to Church will not change that. I’d rather at least know which team I play for, and be knowledgeable of what lies ahead.”

Displayed on the screen of the soldier’s phone was a Satanic website. He had been here several times, reading the various pieces of information. The more he studied, the more it felt appropriate that he continue. As the various names and entities were described the soldier stared to the sky again. Something stirred inside him, something unlike anything he had felt before. He felt nervous for no reason whatsoever. Even though he was safe inside the training area with the other soldiers, he felt great fear. The fear came every time he looked at the Dedication Ritual. The reason was not because of the names spoken, or the blood he had to shed. The fear was unexplainable, just an overwhelming mix of internal pain and worry. And the fear did not prevail to any of the other readings, only the Dedication.. As such, while smoking out on break, the soldier stood and questioned the sky.

But there were no answers to be found in the sky that night, and thus the soldier returned to his duties. Life moved on, and finally the military training ended. The soldier returned home to Giselle, the woman to which he had pledged himself after joining the Army. He had great love for her, so much so that he had assisted her in lying to the government about being pregnant, so that she could leave the service. Afterward she had come to be with him, and they had been married ever since. She was a Latina, and her long brown hair hung just past her shoulders. Inside her matching brown eyes the soldier searched for the happiness he had always hoped would come from his love, but no longer did he see it. For now her eyes did not look upon him the same way, they were filled with disdain. She wanted to be a Sergeant’s wife, like all her friends. She wanted them to have more money, so they could go out more. She wanted these things much more than she wanted her husband to be happy, apparent by her daily rants.

Their relationship was tolerable at best. Feeling her hatred towards him, the soldier felt no physical want for her. He began to spend much of his free time playing World of Warcraft, even sleeping alone in his recliner. He wanted things to change between them, he wanted the happiness they once had to return. He had never considered leaving her for anyone else, nor had he wanted to. For this reason, he ran almost every day after work, trying to lose the weight that kept him from Sergeant. He didn’t want the position, as all he saw in his leaders was selfishness and corruption. But for his wife he decided he would try his best. Sadly his best had not been enough. Even doing the training three times a day was not producing significant enough results. The soldier was losing his faith in himself. He felt he was a failure, both to himself and his wife. He wondered if his life would turn around, if it was even worth living at all…

To negate these thoughts, as he did quite often, the soldier went out to wash his truck. He smiled as he gathered all the necessary tools. This was his most prized possession, and with good reason. It had been repainted with a deeply reflective black, and thus the soldier could see himself. But the reflection was marred by the dirt and water spots left by weeks of sitting outside. The soldier hated to see his vehicle this way, and it had been his plan to spend this day fixing it. He filled his bucket and started washing the hood. He couldn’t wait to see his Xtreme shine again. He popped in his headphones, metal at full volume, and got to work.

As he sat washing the rims, suddenly he heard a voice. It called out, heard even over the music. And the noise was not the song itself, as the soldier was listening to his favorites that he knew well. He turned to look, but no one was there. As he went back to work however, he heard the voice again. He could almost swear he kept hearing, “Hey you,” but that was impossible. For every time he heard it and checked, no one was found anywhere. His wife was inside watching TV, and the neighbors weren’t even home. “I must be hearing things,” he said to himself as he went back to washing the rims

“If you ignore me one more time, there will be a serious problem.”

The soldier fell backwards, looking around in every direction. “Who said that,” he said aloud, quickly turning to shut his Iphone off again.

“You called, and so I am here.”

The soldier thought back to the days prior, and the questions he had asked. He was stunned. Could it really be this simple? Why him, when so many pray every day for answers they never receive? The soldier was amazed at this, and eager to continue the discussion.

“Are you the one they call Satan? The High King of the Darkness, the one worshipped under many other names before Christianity even existed?” The soldier had done some research, and would not be fooled into seeing the Christian description as the correct one.

“Yes. I am, but not all names spoken referring to Me are appropriate.”

The soldier went to his knees, laying his face to the ground. “I am honored beyond words. What greatness have I done to deserve the King Himself to descend from His Throne, simply to stand here before me?”

You are My Child. Know in your mind and heart that I care for all the Children, and you stand among them. You asked for answers, not of a will to conquer or harm, but for Knowledge and Understanding. These are pure reasons, a thing rare in the world. But know Child that I have known of you since long before your birth. Now, you have had your questions answered. What shall you do now?

Tears ran down the soldier’s face. His Father stood before him. He was no man of religion, simply a soldier with a family. His voice cracked as he responded through the tears. “Anything you ask Father. I spent my whole life praying for answers I never received. But You came. You cared, when even those around me do not, enough to want me around. Order it and it shall be done Father, Your Will is my command.”

“An order? No, but it is time for your first lesson. You asked about the Dedication, and your hesitation to it yes?”

“Yes Father.”

“It is because in your mind you did not truly understand what it meant to Dedicate yourself, and thus your heart bid you to stop.”

The soldier considered this, and it made sense. He had no idea what this level of commitment would do to his life. It made sense that if he subconsciously recognized a flaw in judgement, his body could be made to react. But that meant the solution was further learning.

“Father, how might I truly understand? In what way can I prove my loyalty to You?”

“You have values I wish to see for Myself. You say to others that you are an expert at detailing vehicles, do you not?”

“Well..yes Father.”

“Show me this supposed talent of yours. You already have everything you need prepared. I want you to clean this vehicle better than ever before. I want it to shine like a faceted black diamond. You may take breaks, but you cannot cease this task until it is complete. I will be watching, and you will know when you have done enough.”

“Yes Father, I will do as you ask.”

The soldier stood for a second, reevaluating his plans. He went inside an acquired some extra materials, then got back to work. He scrubbed with the sponge, doing his best to wipe away all the dirt. But just doing the pretty outer parts was not sufficient. He went underneath the wheel wells, scrubbing out filth that could be seen to have sat for some time. He opened the hood, scrubbing down all the parts inside. He scrubbed everywhere his arms would reach. At times he would reach a point where the scrubbing was not making a difference, and he would feel a need to continue on. Around the entire vehicle the soldier went, washing every inch with great care.

As he did, the Father continued to speak to him. But this was a one-sided conversation, as the servant worked and the Father talked. He spoke of places where cleaning was not done. He spoke about how the world did not truly understand Him. He spoke on His anger at the horrible things that people say about Him, and things done to others in His Name. He spoke on His sadness at the current state of the world, as Men war with each other over nothing. As He spoke the work seemed to be much easier, and thus the soldier seemed to work harder than ever.

After the first few hours of work, the Father left. He promised to return later, when His soldier was finished with the task. The soldier worked tirelessly, as his skin burnt red in the sun. But He ignored the burn, focusing only on his attempt at perfection for his Father. The entire vehicle was washed and waxed. He took a great deal of time with the waxing, making sure to remove every bit. By the time he had finished, the traffic from the street nearby could be seen in his truck. But this was only half the task, there was still much more to do.

He moved to the inside, and began the same level of cleaning there. The carpets were shampooed and vacuumed, Armor-All wipes cleaned the dashboard. Even the spaces between the vents was wiped down, as the soldier worked hard to prove himself to the Father. Finally, after the windows were wiped down inside and out, the truck was as clean as he could make it. It shone brilliantly in the light of the sun as it began to fall behind the horizon.

As the soldier went inside to relax, he felt something inside. A need to examine deeper. As he considered, he realized that he had forgotten something. His habits of detailing were always the same. After completion, he would drive it up and down the road a bit, just so people would feel jealous of the truck’s beauty. But as he went for his keys, he realized this was not a trip like the others. The Father would be with him on his “victory lap”.

Realizing this, he ran into the shower. He cleaned himself completely, shaving his face and brushing his teeth. He sprayed on good cologne, said goodbye to his wife. She asked for an explanation as to where he was going, and he told her he would explain later. She was not thrilled by this, but did not argue nonetheless. He grabbed his keys and jumped in the truck. He made sure his mirrors were set, put on his seat belt, and put in one of his favorite CDs. The music blared as he pulled out of the driveway, and a joyous smile was on his face.

He headed out to the 190, the highway that ran East and West through Killeen. As he drove down the road, he felt the presence of the Father again. Upon entering the highway, he was singing along to “Walk With Me In Hell” by Lamb of God. As he sang the words, he directed his focus to the Father, who had felt the need to come visit. Tears again streamed down the soldier’s face as he thanked the Father for giving him such a precious gift.

Suddenly, a pressure existed on both sides of his face. The feeling was the same as having one’s head cupped between a set of hands. Then, he began to lift above his body. He did not go far, he was simply held above himself. He watched as, even though he floated above himself, the driving was kept under perfect control. Speed was maintained, gear shifting was done, and traffic was all easily avoided. But yet he was not controlling these things, only watching them happen in amazement. As the song came to a close, the spirit and body of the soldier were reunited, and he turned around towards home. He felt that the Father had to leave soon, due to all the various tasks He has to complete. But He left with more than just a goodbye, he left the soldier with a message of hope.

“Today My Child, you have proven your Dedication to me. Not through the ceremonies and magics of others, but through the effort of your own body and will. This is how one is truly Dedicated, for the path of those that follow Me is beset with more danger than most can handle. To be a True Servant, you will have to learn to endure these things, no matter what damage they cause you. But you will not be alone, I will always be there for you. As such, abandon in your mind who you thought you were. For now you are Mine, and those of Me are not worthless or weak. My Children are the strong, those who refuse to back down from anyone. Today, as you become one of those strong Children, toss aside of the weak person you once were. To all that claim service to me, as well as any that truly care for you, you are now known by the name of Omen Cross. This name you have used before for other reasons, but I have taken it for Myself. For it suits you much better to the purpose I have in mind for you. Go now Omen, and prepare for the advancement of your chosen path.”

Then, the Father’s Spirit was gone. Omen could not believe what had just happened. As he pulled back into the driveway, he sat in awe and wonder for several minutes. This was unlike anything he had been told about how the path of Satanism worked. He had been told, as well as read, that it took years of training and study before contact could be made with the Demons. And the Father stood above them all, so that should mean only the highest get to speak with Him. So why now, why him? What was going on? How would he explain this to his wife, his friends, and outsiders? Omen pondered these questions, but after his great experience nothing would change his mind. He would do as he was told, and become a servant of the Father, regardless of anyone’s opinion. He swore to the sky that he would not fail his Father, even at the cost of his life.

He went inside, and immediately began recounting the story to his wife. She supported him in his right to strive for change, but the disbelief in her face was obvious. As someone raised Spanish Catholic, Giselle did not take hearing the story of Satanâ€™s arrival to their home well. But her atitude did not change Omen’s demeanor. He went outside, onto his back porch to smoke and think.

As Omen sat and focused, thoughts began to enter his mind. It started like pictures, then with time progressed as the events in a music video would. To various types of music Omen saw various events, and he had no idea how any of them linked to one another. But then, the majority of the random images disappeared, and all that remained was the flowing image of a spanning area amongst desert and mountainous hills.

The area was full of people. People of every race and background were there. Inside the massive crowd, large groups could be seen as individual amongst the sea of Humanity. The thing that separated these groups was their garments. Each group could be seen to be various sects of Dark Worshippers, each standing out individually by the symbols they wore around their necks. Some of these smaller groups were performing rituals of various kinds, mostly out of reverence for the Father. As the sun began to lower in the sky, fires sprang up in many places across the area. The night was cold, the cold only found in the middle of a desert.

Then, upon the stage in the center of the crowd, a song began. The crowd reached a fever pitch within the first few notes. As the lead singer roared out the audience did so in return, and the sound resulting could be heard for miles. From some distance behind the crowd, a set of headlights came on. In tune with the notes of the song the revving engine of the vehicle could be heard, and with each one fire shot out the rear of the vehicle. As the beat of the song increased the vehicle sped forward towards the crowd, down a path kept clear by security.

The truck came to a stop about 10 feet away from the stage. Out from it stepped Omen, as the singing began. The crowd chanted along, as mosh pits sprang up across the sea of people. Omen shut the door of the truck, walked around to the other side and opened the door. No one could be seen inside, but after a second Omen closed the door. He took a knee next to the door and bowed his head. As the first verse reached completion, Omen reached out his hand to the sky. Upon doing so he seemed to be yanked upward by an invisible force, made to stand again. By the verse’s end Omen watched the Father go out into the crowd. He himself made his way onto the stage, and began to dance and sing along. At the end of the first verse, massive pyrotechnics exploded, shooting flames high into the air.

As the second verse began, Omen turned to sing along to the crowd. Many stared back at him, and not all the faces looked happy. But Omen seemed not to care as he dove off the stage, riding the wave of hands that upheld him. Once he reached thee ground he made his way to the nearest mosh pit, and there he stayed for a time. But as the song slowed down, Omen caused the moshing to cease. He told them all by his hands to wait for the chaotic guitar to start, and they would mob each other at once. Many moshed in place, gathering their energy for what was about to happen.Omen took a knee, and put his left hand in front of his face, making the horns sit between his eyes. As the music exploded so did Omen, and the crowd around was quick to follow. Suddenly the entire crowd seemed as one giant mosh pit, as people let their energies rage. As the song came to a close, the energy could be seen to be so strong that it cracked like lightning in the sky. The Father was enjoying this time with His Children, and on the final note a great bolt of lightning struck a nearby light, causing it to explode in a shower of sparks. The crowd roared with applause, and the band took a bow.

“What is this that I see,” Omen asked the sky.

The answer did not take long. “It is a concert, one which I want you to put on in My Honor. A way for all My Children to gather in one place and worship together, if only for one night.”

“But Father, a show of this size would cost a fortune. I am just a soldier, I could never afford such a thing. How am I to make this happen?”

“Not alone, and not yet. But keep in your mind what you have seen, as I expect you to do with all of the things I show you. For at some point in your life you may be presented with an opportunity to organize just such a thing, and you must remember that it is something I want you to do.”

“Yes Father. I will not forget. Is there anything that I might do now for You?”

“Actually, there is. I had you take several pictures of the work you did for Me today. Use those pictures to write a story about this day, that it’s importance might stick out in your mind. Try to learn to write without thinking, let the words simply flow through you.”

Omen finished his cigarette, and went back into the house. He picked up his laptop, usually reserved for WoW gaming, and opened Microsoft Word. Omen sat for about 45 minutes, typing away feverishly at the keyboard. Afterward, he returned to the patio with a smile. For in such a such a short time, the poetic story describing his day was complete. It was entitled Covenant: A Day With the Father, and Omen quickly posted it on his Facebook page. It received a few likes, but the opinions of others did not concern him. For he had once again done as he was told, and the warm feeling he had inside proved he was successful in his task.

2

Over the next several months Omen’s visions continued, as did his his transformation. For now, having been shown hsi Father, Omen became a vehement defender of his faith. His Baphomet pentagram, with its onyx background and golden designs, hung right next to his dog tags at all times. This upset many in Omen’s Chain of Command, as they did not agree with his chosen faith. They saw it as inflammatory, unnecessary, and a “cry for attention”. But Omen refused their demands to remove his symbol, citing the regulation that allows the wear of one religious symbol around the neck. This defeat sparked a fire in the Chain, and their differential treatment of Omen grew.

But despite all this, Omen was getting stronger. Military standards dictated that, as Omen was considered overweight, he was required to do twice the Physical Training each work day. The second session of these took place in the afternoon, in the hours prior to the day’s end. At first, Sergeants that considered themselves physical specimens attempted to lead the group. But when the effort of the group could not meet the standards of the Sergeant, quickly they each started to disappear. Soon no Sergeants remained, and the soldiers simply spent an hour or so in the gym. But Omen was given orders to push himself to his limit, and he made a point to do so. From elliptical to bike to weights, Omen stormed the gym each day. He did so with a plan, taken straight out of the book written by his hero, Triple H. The 5-day plan Omen used as directed, adding in other things done for cardiovascular growth and weight loss.

Omen surprised his leaders when he became the only soldier in the battalion on the failing list that showed progress. His weight was dropping, as was his two-mile run time. But in it’s place had come an attitude that they were not expecting. For every so often, Sergeants would be forced by their leaders to run PT. But this interfered with Omen’s schedule, and the plans they had were never as effective. As such Omen refused to follow their lead, citing both his progress and all the previous examples of the Sergeant’s failures with the group. This led to more than one argument between Omen and the Chain, but before the issue came to a head the unit had to leave for training.

Their destination was Fort Polk, where Omen had been stationed prior to his current unit. There stood the JRTC facilities, where soldiers are trained for the general hazards they face overseas. While stationed there for years, Omen watched the facility grow from containers with holes drilled in them to large-scale buildings, almost exactly the same on the outside as buildings usually seen in the Middle East. The people were all civilian actors, as well special units meant to play the role of insurgents.

But after so many visits to the area, Omen knew every inch. He led the convoy through the training area when they arrived, after having gotten sick of waiting on an escort. This made the highers happy, but as usual they didn’t take long to change their attitude. Omen was placed on night shift radio guard, as he was not part of the gun truck teams that were doing the training. This was no different than when Omen was picked last for sports as a child, and for the exact same reason. The Sergeants did not like Omen, his ability to succeed without following them made them angry. After the first few nights his duty was changed, to guarding the ammunition storage area as everyone slept.

His partner on this guard was his friend Chance, and they had much in common. After several days of speaking to one another, Chance was also found to be a student of the darker side of spirituality, though not the same as Omen. He spoke of his many various trainings in magical arts, and also things to be wary of in the process of learning. He had showed Omen various staves and other objects he had constructed, telling Omen that someday he would likely do the same. As Omen recounted the tales of his meeting with the Father, Chance too was stunned. He then spoke of another he knew who was more versed in Dark Magic, and said that he would see if he could arrange a meeting.

Omen’s worship continued even as the training went on. As he had time he would go out where the unused vehicles were parked, out at the edge of the area, where the guard towers stood unmanned. There he worshipped no differently than at home, singly loudly the words of his music. Each song brought different emotions, but all brought a want for more. As such Omen devised a plan, a special form of worship that he would carry out.

But before that, he had to acquire some necessities. This meant finding a way off the training camp, and getting into the larger part of Fort Hood. There Omen recalled a small BX where supplies could be purchased. Omen spoke to his Sergeants about the plan. They all wanted in, as did many of the other soldiers. They were out of their own supplies, and had brought cash hoping to find a store. Omen limited the plan to his own squad, the Ammo Section, and took their orders. He let them keep their money, as they did not believe Omen would find a way. But, with Chance beside him, the next day Omen went out to the area he worshipped. There he took the HMMWV of his Company Commander, and drove it straight out of the training area. He drove all the way out to the store, past all form of base and company guards. But none paid any attention, as seeing a HMMWV on those roads is common. Quickly Chance and Omen grabbed all items on the huge shopping list and loaded it up. Later, as the Ammo Squad sat doing nothing, Omen and Chance rolled up in the HMMWV. When asked why it was brought down, Omen smiled and began unloading the supplies. They all gawked with mouths open, but were happy to pay for their orders. Even the Commander and First Sergeant found out about the stolen vehicle, and brought Omen in for questioning. Omen defended himself, citing their lack of allowed time to grab necessities before the training was started, thus making it impossible for their soldiers to be prepared. As usual, Omen walked away with no disciplinary action, mostly based on how embarassed they would be telling their leaders.

Omen’s 29th birthday came during the training. But even knowing this, Omen was allowed no more time than usual. In fact, on this day the Sergeants seemed to make a point to waste more of his time than usual. But Omen did not let it bother him, for this was a special day. Not because of the celebration of his birth, but because of his plans. It was Omen’s birthday, but he had a celebration planned for the Father instead. He gathered everything he needed and waited, until the moon rose high in the sky and the soldiers were asleep.

Chance assisted Omen with his plan. Using Omen’s Mach 3, Chance shaved a 5-pointed star into his hair. The single tip sat between Omen’s eyes, and the opposing two at the rear corners of his head. It took over an hour, but on their late guard they had nothing better to do. Once the star was complete Omen added the substance he had concocted, a mixture of military grade bug repellant, lighter fluid, and his own blood. This he smeared across the exposed skin, covering the star in a viscous red. Upon completing this, Omen put on his headphones and moved out towards the woodline. There he sang in faith, and as he did so he alit the star on his head. It burned brightly for several seconds as he sang, and he felt a rush of energy come with it. Not simply the adrenaline or the pain, but a spiritual power unlike any Omen had felt before. Even after the star faded the strength seemed to remain, and Omen thanked his Father for the gift he had been given. In his deep faith he had been rewarded, as he had proven his faith more important than his health.

The next day, Chance came to Omen with news. Even though he had refused previously, suddenly his friend had changed his mind about meeting with Omen. The meeting was to take place later that evening, after dinner chow. Omen anxiously awaited whatever new information this meeting would bring as he ate dinner with Chance. They waited much longer than they were supposed to, it seemed Chance’s friend was late. He finally arrived however, lighting his own cigarette as he complained about the stupidity of his unit.

Chance’s friend was known best as Tre Damien, as far as magical names go. At first he seemed to scoff at Omen, but as their conversation went on his demeanor seemed to change. Especially when Omen told him about his meeting with the Father, and the changes that had come in him since then. Tre surprised Omen when he pulled him aside, reciting to him in private details of his worship the last night that no one should know. Tre had been watching Omen out in the woods in spirit, and what he saw had intrigued him. It made Tre want to see what Omen was truly capable of, but the time was not right. He told Omen they would speak more after the training. They would not be short on time, as the unit would be leaving for Iraq in a few short months.

Omen returned home to Giselle with a new vigor. But she seemed much less thrilled with the situation. Apparently, she had become fed up with the way the other wives spoke about Omen to her, words spoken in misunderstanding and blind hatred. But she wanted Omen to change, or at least stop speaking to others, about his religion. Even though she rarely attended Church anymore, it seemed she felt that she had a right to dictate Omen’s faith. As such the rift between them grew, but Omen maintained his love for her. He had hoped that someday he could help her see for herself, that she too might be happy.

The four months between the training and the deployment were quite busy. Many forms of preparation, from vehicle inspection and turn-in to the loading of their company containers. Omen was found to be useful for a wide variety of things, using strength and speed greater thanm he was thought capable. But one thing that hadn’t changed was Omen’s afternoon workouts. In fact, Omen had gone so far as to tell his supervisors that, due to the extreme nature of his workouts, he would not be reporting to their useless end-of-day formations. The reason was he had sweat through every piece of clothing, and did not want to spend an excessive amount of time standing around doing nothing. The unit argued, as usual, but eventually gave up fighting with Omen. His progress far exceeded the other soldiers, and this was something that made the Battalion Commander look fondly on Omen’s Commander.

During this time, new soldiers joined the unit. One of these, fresh out of Basic and AIT, had very little trained skill. As well his PT standards were not the greatest. On the same day Omen failed his measurements, the new soldier failed his run. His Team Leader, who was the same as Omen’s, spent the afternoon bashing the soldier to his comrades, all while he was not around. Omen did not approve of this, and stood up to Sgt. Richard. He defended the other soldier, saying that a major part of why he failed was his lack of proper leadership. Sgt. Richard got angry at Omen very quickly, demanding that he prove he could do better. Omen agreed to try, and Sgt. Richard gave Omen control over the soldier’s PT until the next test.

The test was just two weeks away. Omen pushed the new soldier to his limit, by forcing him to keep up with Omen. Everything Omen did the soldier was forced to match, except in areas of weightlifting where he was not capable. Every day after work they ran, they exercised, and they discussed how easily leadership can be proven wrong through effort. When the day of the test arrived, both Omen and the new soldier passed with flying colors, a fact which Omen quickly reminded Sgt. Richard of. His rage could not mask the truth, he knew he had been proven wrong.

As the deployment drew near, grand ceremonies were prepared. Being in the 1st Cavalry, certain expectations were upheld. The soldiers practiced their deployment ceremony for days before it happened. Omen refused to participate, telling his leadership that he would not be forced to bow his head and pray to a religion that was not his own. He also informed them that doing so would result in a loud, “Hail Satan,” afterward, for all the families to hear. They tried to threaten Omen, but in the end knew he would not falter. They backed down, and Omen sat in the stands during the ceremony. But as it progressed, his Battalion Sergeant Major passed out from the heat. Omen rushed from the stands, helping carry his leader inside. He held the Sergeant Major’s hat and dress coat as he was treated by medics, and it was Omen alone who rode with him in the ambulance. He stood in the lobby, still holding the items belong to the Sergeant Major. The Battalion Commander came to Omen, first congratulating him for his fine support of his leaders. But his pride turned to shock when he asked Omen for the Sergeant Majorâ€™s things and was firmly denied.

“You would argue with your Battalion Commander?”

“As a habit, no sir. But the items you request are personal property, and as such I will not release them to any but their owner. I will wait as long as is needed, but this is the extent of what I have to say about it.”

“If you say so soldier,” The LTC shook his head as he walked out of the hospital, obviously astounded that any soldier would stand up to him. Omen waited for about another hour before he was allowed to enter the ER’s back rooms. The SGM lie medicated and asleep on the bed. Omen did not want to wake him, so he simply laid his things on the chair next to him and left. He waited for his wife to pick him up, and left the hospital full of pride for his actions. For even though it required standing up to someone of much higher rank, in doing so Omen had proved he could not be pushed around.

This continued later that week, during the Brigade Run. Omen pulled his right side groin muscle during the event, but even through the pain did his best to keep on course. While now walking moreso than running, Omen refused to quit. When asked to go to the medics, Omen refused. When yerlled at by Sergeants running by, Omen ignored their rotten tirades. For he knew that he would maintain his dignity by completing the entire course, and returning to his unit. Upon arriving, however, Omen saw the entire Battalion standing in formation. As he opened the back door and was seen, the Sergeant Major turned and called to him. He ran over, assuming Parade Rest for his leader.

“Yes Sergeant Major. Why is the unit still assembled? It is long past the time they are usually released for chow.”

“The formation waits on you soldier. We have something for you.”

As such, even with his sprained groin screaming in pain, Omen was given an Army Achievement Medal for his actions with the Sergeant Major. Omen’s smile was broad as he accepted the medal, taking time to read the associated paperwork. It listed him as an “exemplary soldier” and “the kind of soldier all should hope to become”. Even Giselle was overjoyed when he showed her, as the award meant Omen’s unit was happy with him. She hoped that this meant soon her husband would finally be a Sergeant, something she said would fix their problems. But Omen could not focus on attaining more rank, for soon he would leave for Iraq again. This would be Omen’s third time across the water, but he could tell this experience would be much different than any other.

3

Omen looked around his room. He had finally gotten settled into his room in Iraq, after what seemed like an eternity in transit. Now, staring at the small metal room, Omen was full of ideas for how to decorate it. But his mind also raced with the prospect of his future training. Tre had been very clear in the weeks prior to their departure, “During this time your training will increase greatly”. But unfortunately, his unit was very busy. As such Omen did not get much time with Tre right away, instead he was forced to deal with the chaos in his unit. For by this time, their hatred for his religious choices had grown exponentially. This was mostly due to the worship, which Omen continued to do whenever he had a chance. This raised a multitude of complaints from other soldiers, and caused the Chain to ask Omen to stop. But he refused, this was his faith. Omen would not allow anyone to disturb his time with the Father, no matter their rank or position.

Eventually, Tre finally had some free time. Over the next weeks, Omen began to learn from Tre’s experience. For Tre was not solely just a Human, as Omen quickly found out. The Human had a very special gift. He was able to channel a variety of spirits through him, their wills taking control of his own. As such Omen encountered many beings through Tre. Also, Tre gave him knowledge of his next magical instructor, who would guide Omen’s studies further. Tre took Omen’s amulet for a second, chanted over it, and handed it back. Upon holding the necklace in his hands, it seemed to be extremely hot for no reason.

“The one called Belial now exists in small part inside that pendant. Keep it close, for others would not know how to handle the energy. Belial will be assisting in your training, as his expertise in magic is great. Listen closely and you will learn more than you could have dreamed. Master the teachings and you will know Power beyond measure. The choices are yours, and based on your effort.”

Tre had never been more right. From the next night on, Omen felt a presence around him different from the Father. After time the spirit identified itself, indeed it was King Belial. At first Omen fell on his face, but was soon told to stand. Belial told Omen that his only purpose was the training, and that was all he concerned himself with. Omen understood, telling Belial he hoped to be strong and intelligent enough to grasp the full nature of his lessons. They started right away, as Belial sent Omen out to the Motor Pool area to worship and learn.

Over the next few months, Omen became strong in the training. Belial had shown Omen magic, right from the basics. He started with the magic of the basic 4 elements: Earth, Fire, Air, and Water. Fire seemed like a natural first choice for Omen, and that was what he trained first. He learned to project bursts of flame, cause the ground to shake and crack, manipulate the air into tornadoes, and turn the movements of great bodies of water. At first, Omen was upset that these things did not take effect in front of him. But Belial was quick to remind omen that, “Just because it isn’t happening HERE doesn’t mean it isn’t happening”. This gave Omen renewed vigor, and he continued to learn and train. Omen trained with the Elemental Magic until he understood all the various things it could be used for. Turning the rock and roots of the Earth into a shield, then surrounding himself with a tornado seemed a relatively effective defense. And Water doesn’t hurt much when it hits you, but it does when Fire makes it boil away. Omen trained his abilities over and over, but still did not see the effectiveness of it.

One day, Belial told Omen simply to sit between trucks, hidden away from the sight of others, and listen. He told Omen there was an aspect he still had not grasped, and it was a very important element of his training. Hearing this, Omen found the time as soon as he was done with work, while the other soldiers sat in their rooms and played games. He changed into his PTs, unsure of what form of instruction would follow. He also brought a bottle of water, two energy drinks, and his cigarettes. No matter how long this lesson took, Omen was ready. He sat between the trailers, awaiting Belial’s arrival. He arrived shortly, after the sun had left the sky.

“Are you ready for your next lesson Omen?

“As always, I await your instruction Lord Belial. As well I am excited to learn the piece which I have been missing.”

Suddenly, a bright light shone in Omen’s eyes, blinding him. Upon regaining his vision, it seemed as if the entire environment had changed. The ground was relatively the same, but the air seemed to hang more densely. This caused a “bluing effect” over every light in the area. Omen looked around, as what was once capable equipment now stood broken and destroyed. The buildings were as heaps of rubble, and no Human activity was found. But many things could be seen to sneak in between the shadows, though Omen could not readily identify them.

“This is the Nether Realm, which lies parallel to your own. But it is not Humanity that exists in this place, or not most commonly. Here you will encounter many Beings that are not allowed to be on your Earth fully, based on the Laws enacted. It is in this realm they wander, spirits without purpose. But many other things move in between this Realm on the way to others. Some even migrate through here to project themselves more fully onto Earth. But whatever the reason, they exist here. Now you can see the Nether as well. Inside the Nether your magic will begin to take effect, even though your Human body remains seated between these wheeled boxes. Begin to train again here, and your magic will grow more focused and controlled.”

So Omen began training again. But to his surprise, in this place when a fireball was thrown it was real. The heat made Omen’s hand sweat. The force of it exploding melted the steel of the broken vehicle it was fired at. Seeing this, Omen began to focus more. Soon the ground was his armor, and the other Elements his weapons. Belial returned several times during this, to see Omen’s progression. He could be seen to crack a smile near the end, as Omen began to throw fireballs bigger than himself.

“Beautiful,” Belial commented as he clapped his hands. “Simply beautiful. You take to this training like a pig takes to mud, you are now ready for the next lesson.”

“Lord Belial, do you mean that the Nether was not what I was to learn today?”

“The Nether you have learned, as well you have trained inside it. You must continue to grow quickly, for there is not much time. Soon chaos will befall you, and you have to be ready.”

Omen cocked his head to the side a bit. “Chaos? Who contests His Will? And what weapons might I use against them?”

Belial chuckled. “They contest you. They do not agree with your training, they feel you unworthy. As such they will attempt to see harm befall you before you are fully trained. As for weapons to attack them, you are training in such now. These are not merely instructions in the realities of magic, but a defense against external threats. The further you train, the more ready you will be for what lies ahead.”

“Yes Lord Belial, I understand. I am ready for my next lesson.”

“Fine then. How much do you know about the Old Elements?”

Omen thought for a second. “Very little, my magical training was not very good prior to the last few months.”

Belial sighed. “Then you are way behind, allow me to explain it to you.” Belial waved his hand, and an image of a circle with 2 lines intersecting in the center appeared. at each edge of the line was another image, each representing one of the four elements Omen had been training with.

“These are your basic four Elements. But inside them lie the Old Elements, combinations of these four that produce new results entirely. The first is Ice, the combination of Water and Air. As the air swirls around the water, it becomes solid and hard. It can now be used as a weapon of attack as well as methods of defense. In this way Ice does what Water and Air cannot. The second is Magma, the combination of Earth and Fire. The fire melts the Earth, allowing it to move and flow. But to touch this flowing force is to be incinerated. Thus Magma does what Fire and Earth cannot. The third is Lightning, the combination of Earth and Air. As these opposing forces collide, massive energy explodes between them. The energy moves between the Earth and Air, and can strike anything in either place. Thus Lightning does what neither Earth nor Air can do. The fourth, and final Old Element, is a combination of three Elements, not two. The Element is known as Metal, and it is the combination of Earth, Fire, and Water. The ore is removed from the Earth’s bosom, heated by the fire, then cooled into shape by the Water. It forms into weapons which can be wielded in the physical world, as well as armor for defense. In this way, Metal is wielded in a way that Earth, Fire, and Water cannot be. These are the Old Elements, learn them well. For as they are combinations of major Elements, they share the power and traits of both. Use this knowledge to train even more fervently Omen, the next step awaits you.”

Omen did just that. For weeks he trained with the newly understood Elements, as well he learned to phase into the Nether to do so. Occasionally he would encounter other beings inside, but they seemed to pay him little attention. The only ones that did were those whose task it is to repair and maintain the integrity of that place, for Omen’s magic began to cause damage. But their task was simply repair, and as such they would show up after every time that Omen had trained, working to repair the ground. Even in the times Omen was not training, a portion of his mind was always considering new methods. He sought to find new ways to combine all that he had learned, in order to produce stronger attacks. But in order to functionalize them, it had to be understood both what the attack was comprised of and why it worked.

After nearly 5 months in Iraq, Omen finally developed his first personal attack. The name of the attack was Mjolnir, a name used to reference the magic hammer of the thunder God Thor. But in other various places, the word refers to the extraordinary energy of three combined elements, both Original and Old. It was this that Omen sought to harness, and his pride swelled as he finally found a working method. The spell starts with the concentration of Fire into the left hand, and Ice into the right. As these energies grow and compress they are forced together. This creates a “frozen flame”, as the concentrated energy of Fire resides stable inside the block of Ice. Upon creating this mixture it is set aside, and Omen set his attention to the skies. He forced clouds to appear and swirl, creating a sort of vortex in the sky. As it spun Omen cast the frozen flame into the clouds. It disappeared, and suddenly the clouds began to swirl violently. As they did Omen focused the chaotic energy and concentrated it into the center of the clouds. The center of the clouds began to shine with a brilliant light as the energy grew. Omen raised his left hand, extending the horns with his fingers. The tips of Omen’s fingers began to glow the same color as the swirling clouds. He screamed, “Mjolnir,” and thrust his hand downward. The violent energy forced itself downward. Even Omen was surprised at the level of intensity of the attack, as it encompassed an area nearly 30 feet in diameter. The energy rocked and destroyed all things in its path, even breaking through the ground itself a bit. As the energy dissipated Omen stared at the crater he had made, as the Workers rushed in to heal the ground.

“Good,” Belial said from behind him, “Now you are learning. Magic is a fluid thing, a function of will. It need not be limited by your perception of its capability, so do not allow it to be.”

Omen panted hard as he responded. “Yes Lord Belial, I will enhance my capacity for understanding, then learn to apply it to my magic.”

4

It was now January. The cold settled over the region, but it did not freeze Human ignorance. For even in the harsh conditions, soldiers ran across the base roads being tested. Even though the test was unfair, and violated proper standards of testing, the leadership dubbed it appropriate enough to subject it’s soldiers too. The reason was no more than regulations requiring PT tests to be taken every 6 months. But this standard was bastardized and abused, until every soldier that was disliked was tested almost monthly, hoping they would fail and could be punished. Omen did his test, but refused to put effort in. He even made a point to slow down at the end of the run, intentionally failing his two miles.

Omen was drug into the First Sergeant’s office yet again, as he was grilled as to the reasons for his outrageous actions. Omen stood firm, stating that the test was biased and inappropriate, as the soldiers had tasks that were much more important than PT. He told the First Sergeant that changing standards to suit one’s situation is immoral, illegal, and unsafe. Omen reminded his leader that Army training manuals state that these are the three reasons that any order can be ignored, and thus he did so. He told them that by punishing him they would only prove they held their own wants above the standards. Omen was subjected to much grumbling, but that was the extent. Once again, Omen was right about the standards. Once again, he had used their own flawed rules against them, and proven how broken their system was.

After he had become fed up with Omen’s antics, the First Sergeant pulled his soldier aside, and asked him what his issues with the unit were. Omen was very direct, citing multiple examples of which the “friends” within the platoon in which he worked. He spoke of their constant abuse of the soldiers not inside this group, forcing them to do detail after detail in the Motor Pool as they sat in their rooms. Omen labeled his Team, Squad, and Platoon leaders as corrupt and rotten. He told his First Sergeant that as long as the leaders were corrupt, he refused to fall under their command, and would continue to force the real standards upon them.

In response to this, along with the Sergeants requests, the bolt was taken from Omen’s M-4. This meant that the weapon did not function, and was no more a show. But still Omen was forced to carry it everywhere, and chastised harshly when he did not. Even locked safely in his room, stored in a place unknown even to his roommate, would not satisfy them. They wanted to make Omen feel stupid, they wanted to break his spirit. But Omen refused. He knew inside he was fighting for was was correct and fair, and so he carried the worthless weapon around day after day, still screaming praise to the Father.

Soon after, Omen was taken off their missions entirely. He was placed on a Vehicle Search Detail. This consisted of nightly replacing the guards at the station, as well as searching all civilian transports entering the installation. The detail was not hard, but it was quite boring. For while one night was active and full of vehicles, cycling in every hour or so, other nights were bereft of activity. This was because of the religious beliefs of the citizens, who did not work on certain days. This left an entire night with nothing to do. But Omen, along with the other soldiers there, usually found ways to enjoy the time. For the detail was found to be one place where the Internet was not as strained, and thus World of Warcraft could be played. There were 4 gamers present on the detail, and so they played both separate and together. But in the latest hours of the evening, almost all could be found asleep. The reason for this was unanimous. Even though all were known to work late hours, all were harassed by the unit during the daytime as well. As such, all of them understood the need for such. After all, the foreign guards at the gate beyond them were much more allowed to use their guns.

As time progressed, Omen was notified that he could finally go on leave. It had only been four months out of the scheduled twelve, and going on leave early was highly looked down on. But Omen had the best of reasons. Having no other special day on which to go on leave, he had chosen January because it was his Anniversary. But even though he had applied for it months in advance, as the time grew near Omen heard more argument than assistance. They told him too many were going, that he might get bumped. So, Omen spoke to his wife via the Windows Messenger, and told her the situation. Nothing changes policy like an upset wife, and soon Omen’s paperwork went through. He packed his things, turned in his boltless weapon, and said a fond farewell to G Company as he boarded the plane away from Iraq.

After several days of transit, Omen arrived home. Giselle waited for him, and they embraced each other for some time. But Omen had not returned simply to sit. Quickly they planned and left, headed to San Antonio. They had been once before, on a military marriage retreat. Omen had decided that since they enjoyed it so much, he would take Giselle there for their Anniversary. They checked into a hotel, and explored the city. Day after day, new experiences. They spent time at the Alamo, they went through haunted houses. They took many hilarious pictures at the local wax museum. They enjoyed parking and walking the streets, finding interesting things to do each day. Omen wanted so badly to enjoy his time with his beautiful wife, far and away from the misery of the Army.

But something seemed wrong at night. Giselle seemed withdrawn, both physically and emotionally. The physical part she blamed on a surgery they had agreed she would undergo prior to him leaving. She was having her insides cleansed of a vile disease that had impaired her ability to reproduce. This disease she had claimed to have contracted from a vibrator shared with a friend at a party, but Omen was no fool even before the Father. Strange how the disease had shown up while Omen was deployed the last time. And now, Giselle seemed to retreat from her “beloved husband” every evening, as they lay in bed speaking few words to each other. Omen wondered if he had done something to offend Giselle, but she claimed there was no problem.

But Omen would not give up on his love so easily. He awoke early the morning of his Anniversary, long before Giselle. But he had no need to, his plan had been in place since days before. By the time she was stirring, Omen was headed downstairs. She awoke to find him gone, but also a bouquet of flowers and a heart-shaped balloon sat on the counter. Minutes later Omen returned, hands full with the breakfast from the lobby. They relaxed for most of the day, as Omen told Giselle she needed to be dressed nicely for the evening. She spent hours on her hair, makeup, and outfit. Finally, they drove to Downtown San Antonio, where they parked the truck. They traveled down the Riverwalk, exchanging stories about their previous visit. But Giselle became agitated quickly, demanding to know where they were going.

Omen had planned for this, and right at that moment he pointed for her to follow. Past the end of his finger lie the Tower of the Americas, a landmark in the city of San Antonio. They rode the amazing glass elevator to the top of the Tower, and were seated at the table Omen had reserved. He spared no expense on the meal. Because he had called ahead, they had presented the couple with special menus, each one having the name of the individual on it. As they ate the Tower’s restaurant rotated, providing a panoramic view of the entire city. During the meal Omen professed his undying love for Giselle, presenting her with a new ring as her gift. It was not overly expensive, but brought a smile to Giselle’s face. After the meal they returned to their room. Again Giselle claimed to be in pain, and unwanting to be physical with Omen. As he went to sleep that night Omen prayed to the Father, hoping that what he saw was not true. For he saw his love melting away before his eyes, and it seemed he could do nothing to stop it.

The two weeks ended quickly, and Omen was on a plane back to Iraq. In transit he tried to refocus himself, for he knew he had much more to do. He could not be distracted by the problems at home, he had to continue the mission. Upon his arrival back to the unit, it seemed much had changed. For Omen’s voice had not been the only one against the corrupt leaders. His squad leader was gone, permanently. The Staff Sergeant who before then was seen fit to be the Platoon Sergeant had been reduced to a Squad Leader, and replaced with an actual Sergeant First Class. Omen’s weapon was returned, bolt intact, and he went back to his room. He spent some time with his roommate, discussing the happenings since he had left. By the Hunter’s descriptions, it seemed the changes Omen had sought were trying to be made. Omen went to bed that night excited, hoping to see a new G Co the next day.

But Omen learned quickly that nothing had changed. The new Platoon Sergeant had a control issue, and made a point of being harsh and arrogant with the soldiers. Behind closed doors, he was found to be just as corrupt as the others. But he did not play favorites with soldiers because he liked them. He worked solely off the words of the Commander. It did not matter if the Commander had no idea what was being done, and thus could not understand the reasons for certain things. He spoke, and his little pet Brackets followed. This caused more conflict inside the platoon, as orders came from multiple directions about the same work. As usual, the same crew was allowed to disappear.

For Omen, the only real change was his squad. For in order to keep him away from the “clique” he had fought against before, they had moved him. His new Team Leader was the same Sgt Richard that Omen had proved did not effectively lead troops once already. His Squad Leader was nothing more than a glorified asskisser. Being physically broken and near retirement, all he wanted was to look good on his way out. Between the two of them, Omen became a regular target for both detail and harassment. But nothing seemed to slow Omen, as each day he still completed his tasks.

Many of his nights were spent away from his company area. He would migrate to see Tre, and speak with him about many things. Also they played games together as they talked, though usually they spent their time on a patio built into the roofs. They discussed many things of magic and spirit, as well as what Omen had learned from Belial. Tre decided to continue Omen’s training as well, though in a different aspect. Tre spent his time teaching Omen about combat strategy. Omen raided some unused buildings, and even found hollow rods for them to use. They trained with the weapons as they talked about the nature of combat. But Tre quickly proved that Omen’s skills were outmatched. Every time they trained, Omen was easy prey.

“You are horrible with the staff. How can you ever expect to wield a scythe fighting like this?”

“I am sorry. But why must I fight solely with the scythe, if I am found to be ineffective with it?”

“The scythe is a weapon of respect and honor, used only by the truest of servants. By taking this weapon up you show your reverence to the Father.”

“But can the weapon be modified? Is it able to be manipulated differently?”

“Explain what you mean by that.”

“I..I can’t. Not yet. But i will by tomorrow. I need to go and think about how this will work.”

Omen returned to his room, and pulled out paper and pencil. Though his drawing skills were horrible, by putting it on paper it helped him to consider what he needed. He spent hours thinking about different ways in which the scythe could be altered. Omen sought to make a perfect weapon for himself. Tre had told him that someday a weapon would be made for him, and it would meet his specifications. Knowing this, Omen wanted nothing less than perfection. Omen’s eyes grew heavy as he made a few final alterations, completing the design specifications he had in his mind. The next evening He visited Tre again, and presented the design he had made.What is this? I don’t understand a thing you have drawn here, save for the fact that the top blade makes it look like a scythe.”

“Allow me to explain then.” Omen took the drawing, and began using it to point to as a visual aid. “The weapon is similar to a scythe, but also much different. In it’s basic form the weapon is a staff with a large curved blade atop it. But at the bottom were two smaller blades, which curved outward in the same direction as the large blade. These smaller blades gave the weapon additional attack capability. But omen was not done. He described how the weapon could be broken down into three pieces, and the function of each. The bottom portion was to attach to the left forearm, and the top portion was to attach to the right. What was left in the center was as a hollow staff. Omen described the necessity for a length of chain that could be attached to the top portion of the weapon, allowing him a lethal blade on a chain that could be swung and thrown.

Tre was left speechless for a moment as Omen finished his description. “Why would you want a weapon such as this?”

“You were right, I am terrible with just the scythe. But while I have a scythe, a also have weapons more suited to my style. I am aggressive, i fight head-on. I have no want to parry my opponent into making a mistake, I want their head on the end of my blade. These weapons make it much more possible. And the chain-thrown blade adds a ranged weapon that can slice through crowds of enemies unless they keep their distance, This is why this weapon is functional, because it is multi-functional.”

“And have you chosen a name for this weapon you wish to be created? All truly strong magical weapons are given names that connect them to the Powers they focus. So what name would you choose for this weapon, different from any I have seen before?”

“I call it Hell’s Cross. It is my ultimate testament to the Father, and if given this weapon I shall face any emeny without fear. For with such a weapon at my side I know my Father is with me, and I will never have to be afraid.”

“Then let it be so. I shall inform those skilled in the creation of such things to begin work immediately. It will take some time, but when you need the weapon it will be waiting for you. But know now that because you have visualized this weapon so perfectly, by your will you can make it exist in the Nether. In this way you may train with this weapon before you ever hold it, and it will be less likely to harm you. This will be the next step in your training, as you combine the magic you have learned with actual combat. This will enhance your skills even further. Perfecting it will take practice, but the results will be worth more than you know.”

Train was exactly what Omen did. It seemed that every moment Omen wasn’t required to be on some military duty he was working to progress in the Father. He found a location some distance from the company area, and went there to worship and train. In between unusable buildings, Omen screamed out to the Father. He could feel Him watching, and he made sure never to disappoint. He worked to exhaustion, and sang until hoarse. As time passed, Omen learned to adapt to the new style of fighting.

On the physical side, not much had changed. Omen had gotten his own room, as the Hunter found someone to love. This happened because Omen was put back on the Vehicle Search, and she worked there. Upon her coming to find Omen, the Hunter saw her and was interested. He asked Omen for help, and Omen convinced him to ask her out. Their love blossomed quickly, and soon they were wed. This meant they got to stay in a room together, and that left Omen a room to himself. Omen made effective use of it, rearranging the room for more space. This angered the Sergeants, who did not all share such luxury.

The unit began to treat Omen worse by the day. He never got more than four hours of sleep because of them pestering him during the day. He was constantly forced to get up and work like the other soldiers, even though they did not work nights with him. But Omen reacted in the strangest of ways. Their Hatred for him seemed to strengthen him, and he began to put that strength to use. He started hitting the gym again, going right back to the insane level of training he had been doing before. This activity caught even the eye of the Battalion Commander, as none could seem to avoid staring at Omen. For he had learned to channel the energy as he worked out, and it’s flow was visible in his face. The anger and Hatred turned into great force, and Omen used that to push himself harder. He could be heard to grunt and growl at times as he worked, forcing everything into the activity.

Omen’s personal life was not much better. Giselle seemed more distant now than ever. Upon hearing Omen’s stories about the unit’s treatment of him, she began to beg Omen to stop following his path. But Omen reassured her that he would endure, no matter the hardship. Giselle said she believed him, but her voice did not seem to agree. As time passed their conversations grew more and more spread out, as Giselle claimed to spending more time with her friends. Omen did his best to take her heart-breaking attitude in stride, for he could not let himself be slowed. Between the Army and Giselle Omen was under a great deal of stress, but his faith was stronger still. He placed his trust in the Father, praying that His Will show forth in Omen’s life, no matter the cost.

4

Time continued to flow, and suddenly Omen’s dreams seemed different. They became more vivid, like staring into a life that was not his own. But others around him knew of his name, so the vision must have been his. Omen could not remember much of the dreams, save for the presence he felt in every one. Omen could not sense the entirety of the presence, but what he did gather was quite foreign to him. It seemed almost…childlike. Omen sought guidance from Tre as to a potential solution to his problem.

“So you have a problem with what exactly?”

“I’m not sure. Some sort of spirit, but i cannot sense much other than a very youthful energy. But there was also a great deal of rage and malice that went along with that.”

“Come back tomorrow. By then maybe one of us will have an answer.”

That night, as Omen slept, his dreams were invaded again. But this time the images were much clearer, though Omen did not like what he saw. He saw himself chained to a wall. He saw a table with various instruments of torture placed stacked neatly upon it. Standing next to the table was a girl looking about the age of 12. She giggled as she pointed at Omen, stuck hanging on the wall. Omen struggled, but there was no breaking free. The girl continued to chuckle as she picked up a leather whip. She proceeded to whip Omen repeatedly, cackling with glee at the sound of each strike. When the whip did not satisfy, she used a whip of chain and spikes. It slashed across Omen’s body repeatedly, ripping holes of terrible size. Omen screamed out in agony, but it did no good. The harder he screamed the more he was beaten, and the more he was beaten the more the child enjoyed herself. This went on for some time, as the young girl administered various forms of torture to Omen.

But after awhile, Omen disconnected from the pain. He began to channel it instead, focusing it into a pure raging fire. Before the child’s eyes, Omen stood once again. Even as he stood ripped and bleeding, his rage allowed him to stand unflinching. Even worse, it seemed the energy was causing the chains to extend further, allowing Omen to stand further away from the wall. The child attempted to throttle Omen back to the ground. But with a quick step backwards, the chains now had length. Omen reached up, snatching the leather bands out of the air, ripping it out of the child’s hands. Omen raged, now holding the horrid weapon in his possession. The little girl retreated, making sure to keep well out of Omen’s reach with the whip. But Omen simply threw it far away from himself, and continued to grow in the power of his rage. The girl grew agitated as Omen seemed to be slowly freeing himself. But she also seemed intrigued with him, making it a point to move ever closer to the extent of his grasp. But after awhile she sighed, then threw her hands up in the air.

Omen sat up, realizing immediately that he was still in his room. Even for Omen, a dream of such depth and spectrum was not normal. He sat and contemplated the dream for some time, as it was still several hours before PT. But he still found no reasoning for such. He discussed it with Tre, and was told it would be looked into. But as Omen sought answers, the vivid dreams continued to plague him. However, they were not the same as before. Now the dreams revolved around various instances in which Omen was drawn toward a person. The person changed every time, but Omen was always drawn toward them. The person was always a beautiful female, though the face and build changed each time. The heart of the dream was always Omen’s movement toward the female. In every dream, Omen could hear a beautiful voice, seeming to constantly call him towards her. The dreams began to invade Omen’s daily life, as the voice seemed to call him there as well. Omen knew something was not right, and again he went to visit Tre.

As Omen had expected, he had encountered yet another being of the Other Realms who had taken an interest in him. Through much searching, information on the being had been obtained. Tre sat and explained what had been uncovered, as Omen’s eyes grew wider. For of all the reasons he could think of to be targeted, this one stood out as nearly impossible.

“What you have been dealing with is what is most commonly known as a Dream Demon. To be more specific, it is a being that exists who feeds off the potent energies present in the subconscious minds of Humans as they sleep. For while the conscious mind sleeps, the subconscious produces the same sort of perceptual stimuli. By manipulating this, the Demon can change the dreams of a Human to suit their will. As the sleeping mind bounces back and forth rapidly inside the dream, the Demon is able to absorb a portion of that energy, which strengthens them.”

“So, the only reason for the arrival of this Demon was a want to feed? And now I remain as a walking buffet?”

“You see things in too small a perspective. Perhaps if you learned to speak of her by name it would take away your simplistic, discriminatory viewpoint.”

Omen snorted. “Discriminatory? How can one training to serve in the Darkness discriminate against others of the same?”

“You tell me. Let me ask you this: If you were hungry, would the live cow not be seen as a future meal?”

Omen was shocked at Tre’s comparison. But Omen knew he was right, as he hung his head for his uneducated judgments. “Please tell me the name, that I might begin to understand better.”

Tre smiled. “Her name is Serras, and you would be quite surprised at her level of interest in you.”

“What do you mean?”

“I did some searching. The spirit was located and questioned, based on the authority of greater spirits to command lesser ones through their will. Serras felt your energy as you trained in the Nether. The level of which you channel the energy through you is a rarity in Humans today, and this is what attracted her to you. As such she entered your dreams to feed upon you. Actually you were fed upon several times before it was realized, as each time she pushed deeper into your mind’s energy.”

“So then, what can I do about this in order to protect myself most effectively?”

“Well, that depends on your definition of protection. For you have not yet heard the whole story.”

“My apologies, continue.”

Tre cleared his throat. “She tapped into your mind completely, allowing full manipulation, the night you were tortured as you slept. Through this method Serras claims she has always produced the most effective results, as when they believe themselves in pain Humans become stronger. But your actions inside the dream were your own. By opposing Serras rather than cowering in fear and pain, you did something she had not encountered before. Your strong energy and will sparked her interest. Serras has a want for you, as is obvious by your more recent dreams.”

“Wait, what?”

“You heard me. Serras likes you, she’s got a thing for you. As far as what you do about that…” Tre chuckled. “I guess that depends on you. But before you make any decisions, take some time to think about everything you have heard, that any decision you make be well-informed.”

Omen nodded. This was no ordinary “what to eat for dinner” decision. Omen sat in his room dumbfounded. Why would a being of that nature want the company of a Human? How would that even work? And what about Giselle? Trying to answer at least one of these questions, Omen opened the Messenger. But as had become her norm recently, Giselle was not around. This was not an unexpected thing, and each time stories of time spent with friends was the reason. But the stories did not match. She would go out on her evenings, even during the week when her most prominent friends worked or had children in school. Also, much more money was being spent from Omen’s paycheck than usual. The excess of money from each check was designed to be their savings, towards their plans to have a child. But now very little was being saved, and the slew of excuses did not make sense. It seemed Giselle had bigger concerns than their future, a fact which pained Omen greatly.

At that moment, Serras’ voice came into Omen’s mind, the same sweet voice he had in his dreams. Omen jumped at first, readying himself for a battle. But Serras asked Omen to relax, and simply hear what she had to say. Omen agreed, and rested on his bed. Omen closed his eyes and focused, and soon he was able to see Serras standing in his room. The form she chose was slender and beautiful, with gorgeous flowing black hair that hung to her shoulders. Her eyes shone the deepest of blue, and her lips and fingernails were painted the color of strawberries. She wore a tight-fitting ensemble, comprised of a material somewhere around snakeskin leather. She stared at Omen with desire in her eyes, and licked her lips teasingly.

“You see Omen? I can be anything you want me to be. Hair color, eye color, body type, sexual habits, all of it is able to be manipulated. While I may not be here physically, I do have the ability to influence things in other ways.”

Serras swirled her hand around next to her. As she did, Omen got a sensation exactly similar to the feeling a man has as he lies passionately inside a woman. Omen turned to the side, embarassed of what was happening. But it did not stop, it only grew. His body seemed to tingle with energy. Seras lowered her hand, and the effect subsided. Omen lay on the bed ashamed, as the pleasure had been so great he had reached orgasm. But Serras just continued to smile at him.

“That’s how it works, though it can be many levels better than that. What you know as passion and sexual please are simply impulses in your mind. Impulses I am well versed in manipulating to my will. I have the ability to show you a greater pleasure than you have ever known. And you need not concern yourself with my support, I am quite capable of looking out for myself. But in being with me I will show you how to see further into your dreams, giving you the power to project out further. All these things I offer you, if you allow me to be here beside you and feed as I teach you.”

Omen’s mind raced. He loved Giselle, but she did not seem to love him anymore. She had spent more time criticizing his faith than supporting it, and she had asked him to give it up completely. She was not the same woman that Omen had married several years ago, who was taught by her parents to be faithful and honest. Now she moved around in secret, and had few explanations for where she had been. Giselle had made her mistake again, and Omen’s heart ached with the knowledge. Now he was wanted by more than a Human, his energy was desired by a Demoness. One who was willing to reveal herself simply to make trust possible. Omen stared at Serras, admiring her beauty. He realized that it was an illusion, but that Serras’ power would allow her to look any way she chose. As such his spiritual “girlfriend” would not be one woman but many, and exist both in his waking eyes and his dreams. Omen also wondered what new limits Serras might bring him in mental projection. Of course the downside would be trying to explain Serras to anyone else. He would be called a liar by any other than Tre, as they were not magical and would not grasp the reality of it. He would be called insane, a liar, and a filthy degenerate if he told them. It was all alot to consider, but the look on Serras’ face showed she would not wait forever on an answer.

Omen walked over and stared deep into Serras’ eyes. They glistened beautifully, but inside them Omen saw a swirling void, the truth behind the illusion. He ventured inside it, seeking the truth. He pushed through the smoke, coming at last to see a figure standing inside. She stood about the height of the average female, but her body was built much differently. Her skin seemed charred and dead, but it was not decayed at all. The color of the skin was a very dim grey, as the color of storm clouds. Her body formed in similar ways to a Human, but not all the characteristics were there. Her skin was extremely tough, resistant to contact force. Her eyes sat large on her face, their increased size only adding to their beauty. Her face narrowed sharply, ending at her pouting lips. Her hair hung to the center of her back, but the substance of it was not the same. She had two small horns, which projected out from her forehead. Each horn must have been no more than 6 inches in length. It felt less like hair and more like soft velvet. This was the Serras that existed, the reality behind the curtain. Omen attempted to approach Serras, and she recoiled a bit.

“It’s all right Serras. I understand you project yourself to me in ways that are more appealing to me as a Human. But this is who you are. If we are to stand together as you say, for any length of time, then I need know and accept what is beneath as well.”

Omen reached out to Serras. She flinched a bit, but allowed his hand to touch her face. He caressed her gently, pulling her into his arms. She wrapped around him tightly, and Omen felt the warmth of her happiness.There they stayed for several seconds before Omen could not maintain the projection any longer, and fell back into himself. He looked around for Serras, but she was gone from the room. Omen was saddened a bit, as he had enjoyed the time so much he didn’t want it to end. But Serras’ voice whispered softly in his ears as he lay down to rest.

“I am not gone. It took much out of you to project yourself through the illusion, but it also took much out of me to pull you through to where I am. Rest now, and in your dreams we will be able to do as we choose freely.”

Omen smiled as his head fell into the pillow completely. “I can’t wait.”

That night in his dreams, Omen and Serras soared amongst the stars. They held hands as they stepped through one Realm after another. Each Realm was definable as different by the significant changes in energy present. Beings of all size and shape could be seen, and Omen took time to enjoy every place that they went. Serras seemed to enjoy simply watching Omen’s amazement at the places they went, like a child made suddenly rich inside a candy store. In the dream state Omen was able to control a much greater level of power, and thus easily floated through the sky next to Serras. After passing through several different places, finally they came to a stop.

The place they stood was very dimly lit. As his eyes adjusted, Omen saw various buildings around him. There was no light of any kind to be seen in the sky. This was not due to clouds, but due to what seemed to be a massive ceiling made entirely of solid rock. Serras led Omen up to one of the buildings, a single-level dwelling carved out of the surrounding stone. The building was seen to have one window and no obvious door. Serras and Omen stood in front of the dwelling, facing a carving etched into the rock. Serras waved her hand over the symbol, and it began to glow brightly. A section of stone creaked and slid backwards, then sliding sideways. This opened a way into the home, and Serras bid Omen to join her inside.

Serras’ home was very simple. There were no decorations on the walls, and few signs of long-term habitation. Everything was carved into the rock by design. Chairs were carved into the walls of the area on one side of the home. At the opposing end, a bed could be seen to be carven out of stone, and then covered with what materials were available. There was no kitchen, nor any form of bathroom. But there was a fireplace, and it burned brightly without any wood to fuel it. Omen searched for any kind of substance that might be powering the flame, the heat of which he could feel, but he saw nothing.

“This is my home. It isn’t much, sadly, but I am not anyone special. This is the standard of living for most of our kind, the only exceptions being those with Power and higher position. But it is suitable enough, for I rarely spend much time here. Most of my time is spent moving between Realms, searching for good sources of energy. But you seem to have changed that. The energy I am gathering from you is more than I require, for the first time in forever I am not starving. Truly you have been pushing yourself hard to have reached such a peak. Your energy is the finest I have tasted since the days of Old. Thank you for allowing me to be who I was born as without judgement.”

Omen walked over to Serras, watching the light of the fire reflected in her eyes. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. “No Serras, thank you for trusting me with the truth of who you are. I would rather be here with you for one night than forever with vain women who pay for beauty that is not theirs. Feed happily off of my energy, I give it to you freely. For whatever time we spend together, I will treat you as I would any other. Your happiness, your wants matter to me. And what you deserve most is someone that accepts you for who you are.”

Omen leaned in and kissed her. Her lips tasted like honey-dipped cherries. She returned his affection, and before long Omen found himself lying in her bed. Serras made a point to take the dominant role, showing Omen how they could interconnect. But the feeling was nothing like Omen had ever experienced. His entire body was vibrating with pleasure. He reached orgasm multiple times, and each time energy was transferred to Serras. Omen could see the energy as it moved between them, but had no intention of stopping it. For each time he sent the energy, Serras moaned with pure joy. He was feeding her more than she ever had been, according to the whispers in his ear. The experience was even more than Omen had read about online as it pertained to sexual relations with female spirits. All the cares of his Human life were gone, lost inside the joy of their union.

After it ended, they lay together on the bed. Seras had a smile from ear to ear, she had obviously enjoyed herself. Omen gently stroked her hair as she nuzzled up next to him. He wrapped his arm around her and rested his head next to her own. As they drifted off to sleep together, Omen felt Serras’ mind. She didn’t want the time to end, but knew Omen had to be returned to his own Realm. She rolled over to face Omen, then kissed him passionately. But the look in her eyes began to change, becoming almost a form of despair.

“Whatâ€™s wrong Serras? You look troubled by something or another.”

She stared Omen straight in the eyes. “Will you be as they say your kind is? When tomorrow comes will you forget about me, now that you have known all I can give to you?”

“Not a chance. Though you and I may not be able to be together forever, our time will be much longer than one night. You are an amazing woman, and I wish to spend more time with you. Such time does not need to be limited to our physical interactions, I simply want to know more of you.”

“And you shall dear Omen. With my help, soon you will be able to transverse all of the places we just passed through alone. For one of the reasons I chose to come to you was your ability to do so, a power I sensed in you from the beginning.”

Omen was startled. “When was a given such power? I was not trained in any such thing.”

“I am not sure where you obtained it. I know simply that the energy is inside you, it just lies dormant and unused. Perhaps someone else that has known you longer might have the answers you seek.”

Omen pondered this as he lay next to Serras. He decided that he would go and speak to Tre at his next opportunity. But at this moment, Omen wanted only to enjoy every second he was given. He ran his hands up and down her body. Her skin was surprisingly supple considering how tough it was. Serras drifted off to sleep, and for a time Omen continued to stare at her. She looked so peaceful in that moment, when the chaos of her existence halted just for a second. Omen curled up close, and allowed his eyes to close.

Omen awoke to find himself back in his room. He continued work as usual, telling no one of his encounter with Serras. Days later, Tre was finally available for Omen to visit. They discussed what had happened, as well the developing relationship between Omen and Serras. Tre seemed happy for Omen, as he had been aware of the situation with Giselle. But the conversation turned drastically once Omen told the end of the story, the part that referenced his latent power.

“She said you had what exactly?”

“She did not specify. She simply said the power to transverse through Realms lied within me, so I sought answers as to how to unlock this.”

Tre said nothing for several minutes. It seemed as though he was warring internally over what to say next. “You weren’t supposed to know about that yet.” Tre sighed. “Damn her. Well, nothing can be done now except progress. Considering how close you choose to be to Serras, you will need all the training you can get.”

Omen seemed puzzled. “Is she really that dangerous, that you would be so pensive?”

“The danger I am concerned with comes not from Serras, but from the results of you awakening your powers so early. The further you push outward the more you will encounter. Not all will be friendly, and you are in great danger as you leave your own body.”

Omen stood up proudly. “But if this is a power i was born with, then is it not to be assumed I was meant to learn itâ€™s control?”

“Yes. But not so early. You are still young Omen, despite how quickly you progress. There is much still you have yet to learn, and some things are necessary for you to survive on your path.”

“Fine, then please instruct me further. In this way I can be as prepared as I have been for my other undertakings, and will stand a much better chance of survival.”

“Agreed. Over the next several days, as time allows, you will be taught of the truth of what lies inside you.”

That was exactly what happened. Tre explained the power that kept being referenced, and at first Omen didn’t understand. Tre said the power was a rarity, a form of magic that is not normally even used properly. He explained that the power allowed Omen to easily pass between Realms, unhindered by the usual barriers Human perception creates. Tre said the power could be focused, into a magical ability to melt realities together, allowing the pure combination of the Nether and the Earth. Tre said that, with extensive training, the magic could be empowered to extend beyond simply the Nether, enabling Omen the right to transverse all Realms with practice. But he also warned that doing so placed Omen at great risk, for if killed while traveling, the shock to his mind might kill Omen on Earth. Tre told Omen to consider thoroughly where he wished to travel, or he might end up somewhere unintended.

This gave Omen yet another new magic to work with. Now, having both Belial and Serras around as he trained, Omen had more motivation. He failed through many attempts to pass through completely, still seeming to have walls in his way. Tre had said many times that such barriers existed. As Omen progressed however, the number kept getting smaller. It referred to the number of barriers that still hindered Omen’s full potential, and it was disappearing rapidly. For Omen refused to be stopped in his progression of faith, he would let nothing stand between himself and the Father’s Will. As he would get discouraged, Serras was always there to reassure him that he was more than capable of finding the method. Belial however, proposed another method. Using Omen’s anger and rage he attempted to force the hole to open. As the purity of Omen’s Hatred began to flow, a small tear could be seen. Soon the tear opened wide, and on the other side could be seen the fires of the Pit. Omen strained to hold the small rip open, and eventually it collapsed closed.

Belial and Serras were overjoyed with Omen. They both giddily talked about how few the Humans have ever been with the capability to harness Gate Magic properly, and how excited they were that they had trained one that could. They praised Omen for his quick ability to learn, but immediately sent him back to work practicing. Over time though, Omen learned to maintain the hole in the air. Even still, he learned to hold the rip intact while using other magic or fighting. Soon, the holes became a weapon in Omen’s arsenal, as he dotted back and forth between the Realms, attacking from random points as he returned. Omen was growing adept quickly, so his instructors devised a plan. They made bets with Omen, where the reward ranged anywhere from the right for Omen to spend an evening doing nothing but gaming to sexual favors from Serras. Omen failed the tests put before him, but only the first time. After that, he would not accept uneven bets. And if made fair, Omen always overcame and won. Soon Omen was full of pride and rich in spirit, being the favored pupil of both his instructors. Belial made it a point to add some merriment to Omen’s life, easing the stress of his military taskings. Serras made the night a playground, as she made a habit of taking their intimacy to strange places. And with his consistent worship habits, Omen found himself quite busy.

The military did not make it any easier. Omen was still harassed constantly, as well the unit followed its usual standards of stupidity. Soldiers were constantly called out into the heat simply to stand around and wait for the leadership to have the guts to release them. The Chain cared little for the well-being of the troops, as they had been in Iraq for the greater part of a year now. Their ability to care had disappeared, and had been replaced by the same rotten ass-kissing that had been prevalent in the USA. Suddenly, more standards were released, preventing the soldier from doing things. They closed down the local restaurant, the only one on the entire installation. Now, their DFAC was the only place to obtain precooked food, so they could monitor all comings and goings. The leadership for some time had been using various forms of 4-wheeler and gas-powered cart to move around the base, ordering all the lower soldiers to stay away from them. But this did not apply to their favorites, who could be seen constantly driving around without even the proper regulated gear. This enraged Omen, for any time he was ever allowed such transport, it was due to a mission he was doing. He hated their constant limitation of his movement even more. For he needed none of them to stand by his side, for they did not follow the Father. Thus, he did not want to be forced to take someone with him as he went out to work and worship. Omen became very good at evading his leadership as he walked the base from end to end, tired of their nonsense.

One night, as he lay down to rest, Omen felt strangely. Nothing was specifically abnormal, but something was not as it was usually. Omen ignored the feeling, and went to sleep. He awoke inside an enormous cave. He frantically searched for a way out, but even his practiced magic did not work. Left with no other option, Omen moved forward in the cave. He began to see the light of a fire, so he moved toward it. As he grew closer to the light, he saw that the cave opened up into a massive expanse. He stood at the beginning of a small tunnel running out from this place. Omen walked forward cautiously, attempting to see further down. For the light Omen had seen radiated from a distance in front of him. Past a cliff edge, marking a huge dropoff, there was a giant pit of sorts. As Omen attempted to look into the pit, he heard a terrible roar. Omen quickly darted behind a nearby outcropping, and peeked around to see what had made the noise. Rising out of the pit in front of him was a gigantic black dragon, which if compared in length head to tail was easily the size of 100 men. It flew into the air above the pit, then circled around it as it roared. It spit fire down into the hole, and screams could be heard every time it did so.

Omen dashed from rock to rock, attempting to make his way past the pit. He stayed well hidden, not wanting the great dragon to even grow aware of his presence. As he continued, in the distance, Omen saw what he could swear was a building inside the cave. As he made his way toward it, he could see that the top pushed past the roof of the cave, far beyond sight. Omen walked in through the double-door entrance, and found himself inside a room that looked the same as lobbies for business buildings. Beings of various size and shape moved back and forth through the lobby, but most shared similarities. They all looked generally Human, or at least they were attempting to. Omen began to notice the deception right away, as things inside the lobby seemed to phase and change ever so slightly. It seemed holding their illusion of normalcy to a Human was wearing on their abilities.

Then, Omen saw the doors of an elevator open. Omen knew the elevator was not real, nor was the building. But wherever he was, he would not find the reality standing around. The only answers lie inside the elevator, so that’s where Omen headed. The doors slid shut, and up he went. The opened again, and Omen found himself amidst a circle of beings. Each sat in chairs of splendor, according to their individual tastes. As he entered they ceased their conversations, focusing their attention on Omen. Omen stepped forward and introduced himself, bowing in respect. A female in the group motioned toward Omen, bidding him come closer. Omen respected her wishes, moving to the base of her seat. The female spoke in a foreign tongue, and as she did the others muttered amongst themselves. This female was obviously the leader, in whatever fashion that was regarded.

The creatures stood. Omen could tell they were not Human simply by the nature of their skin and their portruding tails. These creatures were more lizard than man, although something about their form seemed like a manipulation of their natural state. They moved around Omen, pointing at him and speaking amongst themselves. Various chuckling could be heard from amongst those gathered. It seemed Omen amused them for whatever reason. They began to poke him with their clawed fingers, leaving scratch marks on his arms.

The leader waved her hand, and the rest went back to their seats. She stared down at Omen, then relaxed in her chair and began to whisper an incantation. Suddenly, Omen transformed into a dog, who now sat at the foot of Queen’s Throne. She reached down and petted him, and Omen was compelled to act as a dog by their will. All assembled roared with laughter as the Queen sat on the floor and played with Omen, as he was forced to do as she wished. When the laughing had died down, and the interest in Omen seemed to fade, the Queen sent Omen away from her.

Omen sat up in bed again, and immediately went to work attempting to understand his newest dream journey. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not grasp the intent or reason for his being called to that place. He knew he had not done it by accident, for he had appeared far too close to their home. He was drawn there, by the very ones who sat in that room. The same ones that turned him into a dog, and laughed at him. This enraged Omen, and he wished he could speak to Tre right away. Sadly, his friend was out on important mission, and heavily unavailable.

It was late that evening when Omen finally found Tre, and told him about his experience the previous evening. Tre listened intently to the story. His emotions as he did ranged from anger to embarassment. His shame was at the fact that no one that associated with Omen had felt the energies pull him out beyond their reach and stopped it. His anger was at their actions, as Tre explained what had happened.

“Look, it’s like this. Ever since you started doing all these things that most Humans donâ€™t even try to do anymore, much less succeed, it has garnered alot of attention. The race you speak of are known as the Dra’Gaari. The cave that you speak of is just one part of the Pit known as Hell, and that is where the Dra’Gaari race resides. The building you entered is their main habitation. It houses their centers of commerce and worship, as well as the homes of their highest spiritual and community leaders. The beings you encountered at the top of the building were their Council, and the female is the reigning Queen. The Dra’Gaari race are not the strongest in the Pit, but they are used for a great many things. Most able-bodied Dra’Gaari males become Royal Guards, due to their half-dragon blood and ability to become larger in size. The Royal female line is imbued with great magical power, as you saw in your interaction with her.

But what gets me is what they chose to do. They wasted all the effort of calling you to the Pit, they placed you at risk, and for what? To treat you like a dog? To disrespect you? To act like you are worthless, and don’t even deserve to be there? That’s ignorant, too many of us have been working far too hard to get you trained as quickly as possible for random idiots to go getting you killed.”

Omen was even more enraged than before. “So they think I’m a dog, do they? Fine, I’ll show them a dog. I demand an honor challenge.”

Tre stopped even his ranting to stare at Omen. “What did you say? You want what exactly?”

“You heard me. A challenge of honor, where I can show them that I am much more than they think. Maybe if one of them gets a little beat up theyâ€™ll think twice about disrespecting one of His Servants.”

Tre seemed to be taken aback by Omen’s words. “Umm…You do realize that any warrior they put you up against would outmatch you significantly right?”

Omen shook his head. “Not necessarily. My challenge, my rules. And the rules are a function of the location, not the fight itself. The fight will be held in the phased space between their Realm and my own. In that place, I have much more power. They will not be expecting the level of attack that comes with facing me, and I will win.”

“If this is truly what you want, then fine. But we have discussed this before. If you die there the shock to your mind could cause it to shut down in response. That would kill you, and you know that the military would never find a way to revive you in time. Are you ready to place your life on the line simply because they disrespected you?”

“Absolutely. You and the others taught me to live by my own honor, to fight for it. They spat on my honor with their callous mistreatment of me, and their want to pretend I am no more than some common animal. For those reasons a lesson must be taught. As for my life, if I cannot stand up for my honor now, then I will be forced to cower forever. That is not the way of my Father’s Children, and it will not be my way.”

Tre sighed. “As you say. I will go and make this happen. Later this week, upon my return, I will have an answer for your challenge. But if I know the Dra’Gaari, the answer will be a swift yes. Be prepared for a very dire challenge, as I would expect them to send one of their best.”

It was three days before Omen saw Tre again. He had been working very hard, forced to go on one mission after another. Also, like the rest of the Battalion, his company was enforcing many foolish standards simply to impress their own higher command. As such they did not speak long that first night, Tre only said what he needed to.

“I have your answer, but I don’t think you are going to be happy about it.”

“Why? Did they say no?”

Oh, not at all, they agreed without complaint. But their choice of combatant is the issue.”

“Why, who must I face?”

“Your opponent in this battle is the Captain of the Guard, Dra’Naa. Dra’Naa works directly for the Queen, and reports to no other. But his position and prowess have earned him the respect of the entire Dra’Gaari race, as they claim him some special descendant meant for a specific purpose.”

“Sounds like a perfectly worthy opponent.”

“That is the problem. He is more than worthy, much more than competent, he is excellent. With your poor form and limited technique, he will surely destroy you. Also it must be noted that you will face Dra’Naa in his True Form, so the illusions of equality will be gone.”

“Illusions of equality?”

“They do not look as they appeared to you. They chose to learn this magic to fit in with Humans, but it did not work. For while many of their Draconic characteristics were hidden, their scales and tail could never be fully removed. Their true forms are more akin to what you call a dragon, a great winged lizard who spouts forth terrible things. But not all of these are beasts that walk on four legs. The one you will face will stand on two legs, and be fully armored.”

Omen thought about the description. At first he considered being afraid, running from the fight, going back to his real life. But that feeling quickly sped off, replaced by Omen’s undying will to push through any obstacle.

“When is the fight? How shall we make this happen?”

“The battle is scheduled for midnight your time, three days from now on Friday. During that sacred hour, melt the walls of reality, and face your enemy. Do not let fear hold you, or you stand no chance of victory.”

“I understand. I will do as I am ordered without hesitation.”

“It is not your hesitation, but your preparation I question. Spend the next two days preparing your mind and body for the hazards ahead. You think you are ready, but will encounter more than you expect.”

Omen did just that. As soon as work ended he was in preparation. The first day was spent between working out in the gym, fight training, and magical use. Omen worked himself to exhaustion, then pushed even further. He pushed until he felt he could not stand anymore, then he pulled himself up off the ground and returned to his room. The following day was spent in complete relaxation and focus, as Omen refused to let even the Army concern him. Instead, he focused only on the things which he knew would assist in his victory. He pondered his weapon, considering more ways to adapt and use it. He considered the magics Belial had taught him, and how they might be used against creatures of such obvious power. He thought about Serras, and the power of Gate Magic he had unlocked through her. He knew he could succeed, the Father seemed to be urging him to do this. And the Father had never steered Omen wrong. This helped Omen grow even stronger internally, as his faith filled all the voids that his courage did not already.

By the third day, Omen felt as ready as he could be. He dealt with the average military deployment day, taking his laundry and eating at the DFAC. That evening he was sent to work, a thing which while expected was unfortunate. For how could Omen be sure to be available for combat if he was forced to work? But the night was dead, not a single truck passed through. As the evening went on, all the other soldiers, and the Sergeant in charge, fell deep asleep. Omen moved freely around the entirety of the rooms, and not a single one stirred. Omen recognized this for what it was, they had been lulled to sleep that Omen might be free to undertake his battle. Looking further outside, even the civilian guards seemed to be fast asleep. Omen went to the patio next to his work station as the time closed in. His heart pounded fast, fear gripped him tightly. He knew this fight could be the death of him, and all his work would be for nothing. But as 11:55 came, Omen walked straight through the cloud of fear, and out into the tunnels where trucks pass through to be searched. He had his headphones in, and could feel that he was not alone.

As Omen walked out into the gravel, reality began to melt around him. No longer was he in the cloudless night of Iraq. Now he made his way into the center of an enormous arena. Every seat in the arena was full, as all the Dra’Gaari had come to witness the challenge of the pathetic Human that had dared to contest Dra’Naa. Seated at the end of the arena was the Queen, her arrogant pride obvious as she shot Omen a snide look from her Throne. Across from Omen stood Dra’Naa. Omen stood in amazement of his opponent. Dra’Naa stood easily 20 feet tall, and his skin was the hard scale found only in the races sharing blood with dragons. His feet were massive claws. The fingers of his hands were elongated, and at each tip was a razor sharp claw. Dra’Naa had massive wings, whose span easily was half as long as Dra’Naa was tall. He wore gleaming silver armor, an obvious sign of his high rank, and he carried a massive bardiche. Omen could see that the blade of the bardiche was almost as long as he was. Dra’Naa stood proudly, waving and pandering to the crowd. But when he turned to face Omen, Omen held up a hand.

“The arena is set, all of yours are assembled it seems. But my supporters are not here however, and I think that should be remedied before we begin.”

Dra’Naa looked to the Queen, and she nodded her approval. His voice boomed down as he spoke to Omen. “Fine Human. Call your others here, and be quick about it!”

Omen walked back away from Dra’Naa. He focused his mind, and the phased reality began to bend further. Omen ripped a hole in front of him, near the amazed crowd. Dra’Naa dropped his bardiche to the ground as he stared intently. Even the Queen stood off her throne to obtain a clearer view. As the hole stabilized, Omen turned again to face Dra’Naa. He quickly picked up his bardiche, holding it out in front of him defensively.

“What trickery is this?”

The hole swirled and wavered, but then remained still. Through the hole stepped Tre, and upon the sight of him many of the Dra’Gari turned to flee. But when they saw he meant them no threat, they settled back into their seats. Behind him came the remaining 6, all taking position behind Omen. After them, Belial stepped through. At the sight of a King the commoners all went to a knee, a custom throughout the Pit when a foreign King visits. But Belial bid them rise, and again they sat back down. Finally, Serras stepped through the hole. She walked over to Omen, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him passionately. She then joined the others at the edge of the arena. Omen now had a confident smile on his face. All his friends and trainers were here with him, he would not make them ashamed of him. He would find a way. But as Dra’Naa was set to advance, Omen again asked him to wait.

“What now?!”

“You already are at your maximum of personal growth per your intentions for this fight. I however, am not. Allow me to worship the Father before we begin, and as I do so I will reach that point.”

“Worship of the Father cannot be denied to any. I will wait as you request, but know that this is the last time I will make such a concession.”

Omen nodded as the song began. He had already known Dra’Naa would say yes. As the music grew louder and faster, Omen began to channel everything. His love for Serras, his hatred for the Army. The pain of Giselle’s betrayal, the rage at being blatantly disrespected. All the emotions began to turn into energy, and Omen’s energy began to rise to amazing levels. The energy was as a blinding light for a second, and with the light came a forceful shockwave. As everyone regained their vision, their mouths all hung open. For Omen was no longer able to be defined as Human. He had sprouted his own set of horns, which hooked around to the back of his head then jutted upward to the sky. As well a set of black leathery wings had sprouted forth from his back, each spanning several feet. He wore black armor, embazoned with the symbol of the Bolted Star. Omen quickly took his weapon and disassembled it, attaching the blades to his gauntlets. He attached the chain to both gauntlets, and it hung behind him. Every person in the crowd stood. Even the one called in by Omen were excited. For they had not seen this level of transformation from Omen before, and each one swelled with pride in his accomplishment. Omen turned to face Dra’Naa, who was visibly a bit shaken but still stood firm.

“I am ready. Let us begin”

Omen channeled energy into his hands, projecting a bolt of lighting at Dra’Naa. The bolt hit its target, striking him in the chest. It left a singe mark on his armor, and it had knocked him back slightly, but Dra’Naa began to advance toward Omen. Omen threw fireballs, launched huge boulders hurtled by tornadoes, but none seemed to phase Dra’Naa much. He advanced fully, swinging his bardiche in a long sweep. Omen jumped away, rolling as he did so to avoid the blade. It passed merely inches from him as it swung overhead. Omen darted in to counter, but was met with his opponent’s huge foot. Omen was knocked backwards several feet, but he rose again quickly.

“This isn’t over yet.”

Omen charged. Dra’Naa tilted his bardiche in defense. But as Omen came within range of the massive weapon, he quickly thrust himself into the air. Dra’Naa was caught unprepared, and he hesitated. Omen used the opportunity to hurtle over his opponent’s head, settling behind him. Omen lashed out with his right arm. Dra’Naa roared in pain, as his massive right wing fell to the ground. Omen settled several feet away from Dra’Naa, and he had a broad smile upon his face.

“So, will you concede now, or shall I punish you further?”

Tre and the others scoffed and laughed. Omen was truly being arrogant, for he knew that the honorable warrior would never submit. He was acting this way for the sake of the crowd. As they watched their Captain be harmed, they were seized by fear. Some cried out for their hero to rise and strike down this terrible Human. Dra’Naa granted their request, as he stood again with his weapon ready.

“You will not find defeating me to be quite that easy Human, and now that I have learned that miserable strategy of yours it cannot work again.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Omen charged again. As he came in close he made a motion like before, pretending to launch himself in the air. Dra’Naa, expecting the same attack, moved to defend it. Omen used the opportunity to quickly slide between his feet and behind him. He thrust himself upward, and as he passed through he slashed through the left wing. Omen settled into the same spot he had been before, as Dra’Naa again fell to his knee in pain.

“And how about now Dra’Naa? Are you ready to accept defeat now, or would you prefer that this fight continue to get worse for you?”

Dra’Naa pulled himself up with the staff of his bardiche. He stared down at Omen, his face a mixture of disbelief and horror. He stood upright, but seemed to have trouble doing so. He picked up his weapon and lunged at omen. He swung the massive blade, intending to cleave Omen in half. But Omen dodged out of the way, and Dra’Naa spun himself in a circle with his own mighty swing. Omen quickly moved in and hit Dra’Naa several times with the smaller blades on his left hand, leaving large scrapes all over his back. He moved to restrain Omen, but again he seemed too fast. Or perhaps it was Dra’Naa that had become too weak and slow, as he dropped his blade to the ground. Soon he lie facedown on the ground, unable to move at all. Omen walked casually over to him and knelt down beside his face.

“Whatâ€™s wrong Dra’Naa? You seem weakened, as if something has stolen the strength from you. And that it has. For part of the enchantment of my blades is their ability to analyze anything they strike. It finds elemental weakness and exploits it for maximum damage. Each time you got hit, you were that much closer to your own demise. Now you lay here helpless, completely at my mercy. Is this what you wanted? To make fun of something you consider to be less than yourself, and have it bring death to your doorstep?”

Omen turned to face the throne. He raised his hand, and chains seemed to spring up out if the ground, wrapping around Dra’Naa. The mighty champion was forced to the ground. “And you? Are you satisfied yet? Have you reconsidered you opinion of me, or do you still think me some dog to be toyed with?!”

The Queen stood from her throne, and moved to the edge of her balcony. “You think yourself above me simply because you won a single battle? THE ARROGANCE!!!”

As the Queen was ranting, Omen quietly disconnected the chain from his gauntlets. He unlocked the right blade and slid it into its original position. The Queen raged further, upset at the fact that Omen seemed not to be paying her any attention as he adjusted his gear.

“You will listen when I speak Human! You stand before a Queen! If you continue to disrespect me, I will show you the definition of Power!”

The Queen began to charge energy into the tip of her Royal Scepter. It began to glow brightly, the gold of which it was made seeming to vibrate. Suddenly, a great bolt of lightning fired out from the scepter toward Omen. But before it could strike, Omen seemed to vanish into thin air. The crowd was stunned as they saw the bolt strike nothing, and they all looked around the arena’s center for sings of where Omen had went. As they looked, Omen appeared directly behind the Queen. He wrapped his chain around her neck, drawing the scythe blade close to her throat. He disappeared again, this time taking the Queen with him. The crowd roared angrily at the kidnapping of their queen. But before they could roar too loudly, Omen reappeared in the center of the arena, next to Dra’Naa’s still chained body. The Queen was on her knees at his feet, and his blade was dangerously close to her throat.

“And now, Your Majesty? Do you consider yourself so much better than I now, when my blade thirsts for your blood?”

The Queen trembled, but did not move an inch. All assembled stared on in horror, for they saw the demise of their Queen coming swiftly. Many began to scream out challenges to Omen, demanding that he free their Queen. Omen heard their screams, but none moved toward him. None would risk increasing his ire while their Queen’s life hung in the balance.

“Allow me to end this discussion once and for all. I am no dog. I am a true Son of my glorious Father Satan, and I will suffer no disrespect from you or any other. What I do not allow in my Human life I will not allow here! However, I am also not a raging beast, I am a being of honor and dignity. From your methods of combat I assume you are the same. Hence, I have a deal to offer you all. A trade of sorts. I will spare the lives of both your champion Dra’Naa and your Queen. But from this day forward, any who speak my name, see my image, or have dealings involving me will understand one thing. As far as every one of you is concerned now, I am to be treated as visiting royalty! You will afford me all the custom and splendor of such, and there will be no future arguments about this. Agreed?”

There was no contestation. The Queen agreed as well, and Omen released her. He walked back over to his friends, turning back again to face the Queen. She stared at him with a newfound respect, but her rage at being so easily beaten was obvious. Omen focused inward, and a hole was ripped next to him. Omen watched the others leave, each one booming with pride. A few were even working to collect on their bets won through Omen’s effort. Belial was chief among them, as the others angrily paid their debts. Once they all had gone Omen turned to face the Queen again. He raised his hand, then collapsed his fist. The chains around Dra’Naa began to recede back into the ground. Omen cracked a smile as he turned and walked back through the hole.

Omen stood again in the pathway for trucks on the Army base. He went and smoke a cigarette, enjoying his victory. The other soldiers were finally beginning to stir, none had been aware of the events of the last period of time. And Omen made no point to tell them, for the affairs of the spiritually gifted are not the business of the un-enlightened. He simply went on through the night like any other, anxiously awaiting whatever awaited.

5

It had been months since his encounter with Dra’Naa. Omen had been the talk of the spiritual community, and many made a point to inhabit Omen’s friend to speak to him. Some even gave Omen their own form of gifts. One such gift was the enchantment of a blade Omen possessed, as runes were inscribed on it and spirit placed inside. The blade had even been borrowed by Tre once before, as he had encountered a terrible spirit on his trips into the desert. The blade had easily been able to keep the vile spirit at bay, as the head of the Cerberus thirsted for blood. It had made the channel easily capable of defeating the spirit without added assistance. Omen took it back happily, and made a point to slide the blade into his combat armor. For if he found himself in need of a weapon, he would trust his life to no other.

Omen was also given a gift in reward of his victory by the Father Himself. But this was no ordinary gift. Omen was a lover of all the animals of the world, and as such missed his own pet Nacho very much. But Omen learned that he had been given a pet that existed outside Earth, a pet that once mature would not age for a seeming eternity. The nature of his pet was that of the race of Cerberus Hounds that inhabit the Pit. Omen was given one of the young ones, a puppy by their standards. But even the young Cerberus was quite the capable fighter, as he proved quickly. The young Cerberus took to breathing fire and ripping his opponents to shreds as if it was born in him. But Omen had been tasked with giving his new pet a name. After much consideration, he decided to name his pet Archimonde, after many a famous Demon in stories. But the name was not welcomed, at least not entirely. In it’s childish mindframe, the puppy demanded to be called Archie. Omen happily agreed, and they began to train together.

But Omen’s life in the military was not going as well. Due to the fact that his unit had recently gone through a series of arrests and punishments of soldiers due to Spice usage, the Chain was eager to oppress any that made them look bad. This made Omen an obvious target. He was chastised much more often for his worship, as well for going out alone to do so. Omen countered with the fact that no one would choose to go with him to sit as he did such things for hours. But his Commander, a hateful fire in his eyes, told Omen that he had the right to force Omen to stop his worship if it bothered others. Omen told his Commander that while he would attempt to do so away from the other soldiers, he would not give up his faith for the Army. The Commander was enraged at Omen’s defiance, but by standard was not allowed to do anything. As such instead the torment worsened.

Omen was pulled out of his room, and forced into a room with 3 other soldiers. The reason given was that a new Staff Sergeant was coming to the unit, and they needed the room for him. But no Sergeant ever came, and the room sat empty for weeks. They had simply attacked Omen for his unwillingness to submit, a habit voiced by several of the soldiers. Once again, the Chain was abusing their power. Omen tried to simply accept the new standard and move on. He even sat and played games with his roommates, the same soldiers that he had fought against for their laziness during work hours. But Omen had become segregated, as the Sergeants directly over him began to give him additional tasks and duties constantly. For a time Omen was even forced off the base entirely, as the unit claimed that he was needed in another area. But Omen simply sat for several days doing nothing, far away from everything in his room. Omen was under heavy assault, but he endured. He refused to lash out at the Chain directly, for he knew that was what they wanted. The Commander, left with no real reason to punish Omen, had decided to push him until he snapped. He wanted Omen to assault himself or one of the NCOs, simply so he could be gotten rid of forever. Knowing this, Omen had even more reason to fight. And he was not alone, for Belial and Serras had pledged to assault the mind of the rotten Commander for his betrayal.

Weeks went by, as Omen was thrown from one detail to another, allowing him no proper sleep schedule. During his off hours, his immediate supervisors were constantly pestering him about something. Omen had no peace and quiet, no way to relax. He felt their will pushing against his, but he knew he could win. To counteract this, he began being given special challenges by the Father. He went a week with no food. He spent a week sticking his finger down his throat until he vomited every time he ate. He would go days without sleep. But none of these things stopped Omen from performing all of his duties. However, it did cause the Sergeants to attempt to intervene. But when Sgt. Richard came to Omen, pretending to care, and demanded that he stop what he was doing, Omen would not.

Omen stated that, “My faith is my own, you have no right to tell me what to believe. And legally you cannot either. Therefore you need to stop trying to oppress my faith, before I have to speak with someone about it.”

This was not the first time Omen had threatened such. Also, Omen was well known to have the ear of the Sergeant Major, because he had been there when he was needed most. This caused many problems, as when ranges and other activities would happen, the Sergeant Major always came to visit. Each time he did, he came looking for, “his soldier”. When Omen would reveal the unit’s failure to properly adhere to military standards, choosing instead to stroke their own egos and be lazy, the Sergeant Major was enraged. The NCO responsible, Omen’s Platoon Sergeant, did not handle the reprimanding he received well. Daily it seemed the tension grew worse, but Omen refused to be forced into submission by their Hatred.

Everything reached a head during the time Omen was scheduled for night shift Command Post guard. It was a guard that was done each and every day, by soldiers that were rotated through. This was because the job was fairly simple. It involved restocking the bottled water, cleaning the building, responding to calls on the radio from the Battalion, and whatever minor things needed done that night. Each morning one soldier would go with an NCO to get food for both’s breakfast, and soon after they would be relieved. Omen had done this detail before, and he was no stranger to it. But it involved being up through all hours of the late night. And as the unit was beginning it’s preparations to return home, each day was extremely busy. But the thought of going home seemed to relax almost everyone. Even the Commander knew about the strain on them, and thus the day Omen and his partner started the detail the commander gave them the following instruction:

“If, during the hours of 11 P.M. and 5 A.M., you feel yourself so tired that you cannot stay awake, lay your head down and rest awhile. As long as one of you remains awake in case of a radio transmission, I am not worried about it.”

Omen did as most soldiers had become used to, he brought his laptop. He spent his evenings writing and talking to people on Facebook. But the conversations that stood out most from these was Giselle’s. One night, as Omen’s partner had left again, she came on the Messenger. She talked extensively about how Omen’s religion was destroying his military career. She told him it had also outcast him from the other families, making it harder for her to have friends. She blamed Omen for the depression that plagued her. But she also spoke of being under attack. It seemed her vile will to venture outside had come back to haunt her. Serras, who valued Omen’s energy and will, Hated Giselle for her betrayal. According to Giselle, she had been a victim of repeated attacks in her dreams, as well as strange happenings when awake. She begged Omen to stop, to walk away from the Satanist Path, and return home to start a family with her.

Omen’s response came within seconds. “Giselle, I love you. But I also love Him. I would never turn on either of you by my own choice. But He has never asked me to turn away from you, even when you spat at Him. He did this out of respect for my life and my choices. But you, you now ask me to turn away from my Father, solely because it upsets people? In asking this you have answered your own question, for my choice is Him.”

Giselle seemed much less than heartbroken at the impending end of her 7 year relationship. In fact, she seemed prepared for it. Suddenly she had moved out of the place she had moved after Omen had deployed, and now lived with her “roommates”. She seemed constantly busy with them, never able to speak about the details of their situation. It seemed rude for someone who had spent their entire marriage with no steady job and no real income. Omen had supported her every need for years, and now she refused to even treat him with respect. Omen knew exactly what was happening, and he dared not lie to himself. Having seen Omen’s conflict with the military, Giselle had betrayed her husband completely, getting with someone else while he was deployed. Omen talked to Giselle, trying to make sense of why she now loathed him so much. He had not done her wrong, nor had he ever mistreated her. After she disconnected from the Messenger, Omen went outside to smoke. He began to cry, though he refused to let his tears affect him. He could not believe that, after doing everything expected of a husband for 7 years, his beloved Giselle had slid the knife in his back. Omen’s tears flowed for hours, though he refused to explain it to his counterpart. Omen told him he would be fine, he just needed a nap. His Battle Buddy agreed, asking only to use the bathroom before Omen slept. So Omen curled up on the couch inside the Company, and cried himself to sleep.

Omen awoke to the Commander standing over him. He began yelling at Omen about why he was asleep. Omen attempted to explain, but the Commander would not hear a word. He seemed completely unable or unwilling to listen. He told Omen he would be dealt with later. He was, as his sleep was interrupted again later so he could be yelled at by his leaders for sleeping. Omen attempted to explain to them as well, but none of them would listen to a word. It was as if barriers had been placed between Omen and the Leadership, where all they could see was their Hatred for him and his actions. But in the end, Omen finally went back to bed, because the truth came out. Omen’s battle buddy had been taken to go get chow. He had attempted to wake Omen, but as he put it in his statement he was unable to. So Omen had never been notified that he was alone, and thus could not be held accountable for a lack of knowledge. Grumbling, the Sergeants left, and Omen went back to sleep.

Days later, Omen found himself in the same position. He had been tasked with detail upon detail that day, because a mission was going out that night. After they left, Omen told his Battle he needed to rest. He forced his partner to swear that if he was going to leave for any reason that he would be sure to wake Omen up. The agreement was made, and Omen laid down to rest. But he was lied to again, and awoke to the Hateful face of the Commander. He fumed with rage at Omen’s perceived laziness. Again he refused to allow Omen to tell him what had actually happened, instead believing the other soldier’s story without a word. Omen was yelled at, forced to wake up his Chain to have them yell at him, then sent to his room at the end of his shift. Afterward they repeatedly came and yelled at him, interrupting his sleep as each one complained in their own way. Omen was notified that the Commander needed a Counseling Statement signed, explaining what had happened and that it had been dealt with. Omen’s leaders said the Commander was demanding the statements, and raging furiously when it came to Omen.

Lost for answers, Omen looked to the others around him. He spoke with several soldiers, and amongst those who paid attention the story was the same. They all claimed to have been approached recently, at one point or another, by the Commander. As he spoke to other soldiers, the conversations regularly turned to the topic of Omen. The Commander had been heard to ask about both the reality and the validity of Omen’s religion to others. The soldiers themselves said they had no problem with Omen, as his actions never interfered with their job or private space. But all claimed that the same did not hold true for the Commander, who regularly could be heard spouting insults about his “rotten Satanist” soldier, and how much he wanted rid of Omen forever. The soldiers warned Omen to watch his back, but Omen knew it was too late for preparation.

But the severity of the Commander’s actions had increased significantly, as had the look in his eyes changed. It was almost as if, when Omen was around, the Commander became different. Omen felt a strange energy present, but could not describe it. It seemed to envelop the Commander, causing even his voice to change slightly. Behind his eyes lurked something Omen could not quite define, for the Commander would never look Omen in the eye for long. He always turned his gaze away, constantly showing his knowledge of his own wrongdoing. Omen needed to find the source of this problem, and fast. For the Commander kept pushing for more unnecessary punishment for Omen, even after he had apologized personally.

Omen went to find Tre, desperate for answers. Luckily, the channel did not have a mission that day, and was accessible early on. He said he would again hunt for answers as to any strange activity in the area, and Omen left. Tre had said it could take days to obtain any information on the situation. So Omen was quite surprised when he showed up at Omen’s room, a thing not allowed by his unit, and demanded that Omen come to see him quickly. Omen did as he was told, as was there within minutes. Once the other solfdiers were far enough away that they could have a measure of privacy, Tre explained the urgency.

“Omen I…I can’t believe I’m saying this, considering all that you have already encountered. But you are in serious trouble.”

Omen cocked his head back in disbelief. “And what exactly is it that I need be afraid of? What stands in the way now?”

“You asked me to find the source of the strange behavior in your unit. All 7 went out to search but it did not take that to find the answer. Your Commander, in his belief that even in his rottenness he is a good Christian, was tapped in to by one of the Watchers Above, in an attempt to derail your Human life. This was done so that your progression would cease, because of your rapid growth. Those Above have become nervous with your increase in power, and so they set to see you destroyed.”

Omen laughed half-heartedly. “I always knew it would happen someday if I followed this path. I knew those that argue with the Father’s Will that exist Above would come for me. So, which low-ranking Seraphim shall I expect to do combat with?”

Tre’s eyes grew wide. “You have no idea. They are not going to allow you to reach your full potential, not without fighting for every step. Thus, no lesser was sent to deal with the threat to their stability.”

“You mean to tell me?”

“Yes. One of the 7 you call Arch was sent. It is this one who has been able to manipulate the minds of those who are corrupted, but claim faith and purity. Through this he has turned them against you, showing them that you are terrible and vile. They will mark you as an enemy, and your situation will only worsen. Be prepared for the worst Omen, things have already been set into motion.”

“What can I do to stop the assault?”

“The only way to even stop the attack from worsening from the level at which it is already at is to defeat the one doing the magic.”

“So what, I gotta beat down an Archangel? Great, just fucking great. And exactly which one will I be expected to perform such a miracle against?”

Tre sighed. “Azrael, the Angel of Death. The one whose job entails reaping the freshly dead souls of Humanity, that they might move on as prescribed.”

Omen fell back against the railing. “Azrael? Are you serious? Of all the guys to have to fight, HIM? The guy that makes his living ensuring no one contests their passage to the Other Side? Wonderful. Well, somebody better come up with some kind of plan, cause I don’t think what I have access to currently will be enough.”

“I will speak to the others, as well as their contacts. We will see what can be done. In the meantime, be wary. This is nowhere near over.”

Three days passed. Omen had returned to work, never once slowing in his efficiency.Then, he was called into the Company, to sing the Counseling Statement his Platoon Sergeant supposedly had ready for him. But as Omen was about to be read it, Brackets was called into the Commander’s office. He returned a few minutes later.

“Disregard. The Commander has his own Counseling Statement for you.”

This struck Omen as strange, as the Commander was outside Omen’s direct Chain, and thus the Commander was stepping over all his NCOs. In that moment, he remembered what Tre had said. This was it, the next step in whatever plan was being orchestrated. But Omen could do nothing to prevent it, he simply followed his orders, and went into the Commander’s office.

It seemed that the Commander had spent much of his recent time working on the Statement, as it went into much more detail than lies simply in the regulations. He spoke on how worthless Omen was to the unit, how his actions disrespected all of them. Insult after insult was hurled by the Commander, but Omen remained silent. Seeing that Omen would not be forced to lash out, the Commander read his punishment. Surprisingly, it did not seem all that terrible. All it required was that Omen redo his shift of guard duty the next month, with NCOs coming to check every 3 hours to ensure he was awake and performing his duties. Also, Omen had to research and then teach a class on guard duty, and deliver it to the entire Company in three days time. The Commander smiled as he finished, waiting to see the violent argument he expected from Omen. But there was none. Omen simply smiled, accepted the punishment given, and left.

Omen immediately went to his Team Leader, demanding any requirements for his speech. He asked if he needed notes, note cards, slides, or if information and speech on it was enough. They returned within 5 minutes, telling Omen there were no special requirements, he simply had to give the speech. They seemed startled by Omen’s readiness to prepare the class. It almost seemed as if they were expecting him not to do as he was told. But within 2 hours, Omen had completely prepared the class, its key points written onto several note cards. Omen showed it to his Team and Squad Leaders, and they seemed amazed at how quickly he was ready. Again they stuttered and stumbled over their answers to Omen’s questions about when and where the class would be held. They simply told him to wait until that day, and everything would happen as intended.

That night, Omen went again to visit Tre. His friend’s face was stern, but hopeful. He proceeded to tell Omen that, as the channel had slept the previous night, Azrael had attacked. Tre defended against Azrael, and conditions of battle were made. Each being was forced to stand within a circle, which they could not leave. From here they made war, as bolts of lightning and fireballs cracked back and forth. Then, Azrael unleashed the Holy Fire, that pure white flame that exudes the purest of energies. Luckily, Tre was able to shug off the majority of the impact. In response, Tre said he had used something called Balefire.

“Balefire? What is that, I’ve never heard of it before.”

“The Baleflame is the primary weapon of all who exist in the Darkness. It is a special type of magical element, and it is not to be used without caution. For the Baleflame, which burns black on the outside but has a core of swirling green, burns in more ways than one. While the outer flame burns with the strength of one thousand forest fires, the core is the most dangerous. For the core contains the Hateful energies present in the Dark. This burns as an acid does, melting away any substance it touches. As such the Baleflame is not the easiest to master, and doing so requires great patience. But this may be your only hope.”

“Because when I battled with Azrael, and launched the Baleflame at him, it melted away one of his wings. It later regenerated, but for that moment it was gone. When this happened, I knew their was still hope. For if you can remove the wings of a Watcher, their Immortal strength begins to wane. Only then are they able to be slain, and even then the effect is only temporary.”

“What do you mean temporary? Are they impossible to kill?”

“When one of the Immortal nature dies, it is not the same as a Human death. Their energies do not pass to another place. It is more like they are cast into Limbo itself, a form of banishment. The extent of the time they are banished is dependant on the nature of what caused it to happen.”

“So if i beat Azrael, he gets banished for a while?”

“A while to him maybe. The length of time spans thousands of Human years, as such it is beyond your level of comprehension to understand. He will be sent into a Realm of nothingness, and there he shall stay for whatever timeframe is decided.”

“Then you are right, I must ready myself. I must achieve full mastery of the Baleflame, and I must do it quickly. For at the rate things are digressing, I do not have much time left.”

Luckily, Omen had no missions that day, so he was free to train. But the Baleflame was as difficult to master as Tre had said. Even attempting to control its powerful burn seemed to sap Omen’s ability to control the other Elements. He couldn’t maintain the phasing of the gates anymore. Omen wondered if the training had been a mistake. But just as he did, the bright Baleflame sparked to life in his hands. Hours later, Omen had regained all of his earlier knowledge. He had added to it the proper use of the Baleflame, and as he trained his instructors beamed with pride. Omen could feel them cheering him on, strong encouragement that he could still defeat Azrael.

Omen wasted little time, directing the challenge for the next evening. Even Tre was unsure that such haste was necessary, but Omen insisted, stating the longer he waited the more fear could grab him. That night, long after the soldiers had all laid down to sleep, Omen again went out into the night. Behind his barracks area, past the stone T-Wall barriers, Omen began to melt reality again.

He appeared in a place full of varied beings. Werewolves, Vampires, Dragons, Demons, Watchers, all seemed to be in attendance for the show. The crowd was definitively split into two sides, and they did not hesitate to make it known. When Omen arrived, he demanded the right to worship before battle. Azrael, knowing full well the value of proper worship, agreed. Thus the crowd roared as Omen sang out, gathering in immense power as he did. By the end of the song the entirety of Omen seemed to be glowing with stored energy. He stood, weapons already attached to his arms, as ready as he could be for the mighty Azrael.

Azrael started the contest without a single word. He threw bolts of lightning down from the sky. Omen darted back and forth, dodging each attack. Azrael changed his strategy, hurling massive balls of Holy Fire. They exploded as they hit the ground, shooting out fire in all directions. As Omen worked to dodge the incoming fireballs, he shot out small lightning bolts of his own. Azrael halted his attacks long enough to deflect the bolts with his weapon, sending lighting shooting through the sky. He stared down at Omen, his laughter cracking the sky like thunder.

“Foolish Human. Do you not know that your weak magic cannot even harm me? What you call strength I wield in one hand alone!”

Azrael launched a barraged of Holy fireballs at Omen. Omen ran and jumped his way through them, but his outer cloak was being singed. But each time Omen attempted to dodge toward Azrael, he met a wall of flame that prevented it. Omen was driven back and forth across the area, as Azrael continued to enjoy toying with him. Omen attempted several variations of energetic attack, but all were totally ineffective. Omen began to question his decision to contest Azrael. He wondered if his decision to strike so soon was made in haste. But then Omen felt the presence of the Father, and his fear melted away. Omen fired several attacks, which Azrael blocked with his scythe effortlessly.

“Azrael!”

“What Human? Do you wish to concede already, in front of all your assembled supporters? Would you prove the Darkness this weak and worthless?”

“Not a chance. But since you obviously have a great deal of advantage, will you accept a challenge?”

“You dare to test my patience, while at the same time asking an allowance from me?” He turned to face the other Watchers. “See the pathetic servants Below, and how easily they fall before us!”

The assembled servants of the Light roared with applause, while those opposing them growled and complained. Azrael continued to taunt Omen, swelling his massive ego even further. But his actions brought a sense of impending victory for the Light, and thus they began to brag about Azrael’s power.

Azrael turned back toward Omen, crossing his arms over his chest. “Fine Human, I shall accept whatever challenge you set before me, so long as it is not unfair in its rules.”

Omen smiled. “Not at all. The challenge is simple, before we continue our fight, you must endure one attack from me. You are not allowed to defend against this attack in any way. This means you are not even allowed to hold your scythe during the attack, so you are not tempted to use it. After the attack you will be allowed to retrieve your weapon before the fight continues.”

Azrael stared quizzically at Omen. “One attack from you, when you have not managed to even strike me? If you plan to use one of those pathetic lightning bolts, or that meager fireball of yours, they will not even scratch my armor. I hope you enjoy this attack, and how it feels to see yourself as powerless.”

Azrael tossed his scythe down to the ground. He landed about 4 feet away from it, and spread his arms out wide to the sides. “Come then Human, show me whatever pathetic magic you think is powerful enough to harm me. Show me whatever worthless garbage these betraying Fallen have taught you. None of it shall avail you, you will fall before me.”

Omen began to pray to the Father. As he did so he focused himself completely, pushing the entirety of his energy out into his hands. Energy grew and swirled, but Azrael had not lost his arrogant smile. Omen knew it would not be enough, so he pushed even harder. The ball swelled and grew even further, becoming as large as it’s creator. But Azrael was unphased, obviously he knew the attack would not work. But then, the energy of the ball began to change, from the inside out. Suddenly, the ball was no longer made of lightning and fire, but of pure Baleflame. The green core itself was the size of Omen’s torso as the ball of Baleflame continued to grow. Omen looked in front of him, and Azrael was seen to flinch just a bit at the sight of the ball. Using this momentary lapse in courage to his advantage, Omen fired the blast. Azrael was overcome, as the Balefire seemed to envelop him completely. There the ball stayed for several seconds. Then, it disappeared in a violent explosion, shooting Balefire out for miles in every direction. Several of the Watchers in the crowd were hit with the Balefire splash and were damaged. The sight of this brought fear to the crowd as they watched the smoke clear from Omen’s attack.

Azrael remained standing. But his armor had been completely scorched, and his wings had become burnt. They still remained attached, but much of them had been destroyed. He walked back slowly, and picked up his scythe. He held the dual-bladed weapon out in front of him, ready to bring the fight in close. Omen readied himself as well, his blades crying out for the combat to begin. But as Omen awaited Azreal’s advance, he noticed the energy had weakened significantly.

Azrael came at Omen, his dual-bladed scythe seeking death from both ends. Omen and Azrael battled back and forth for several minutes, neither gaining ground over the other. This seemed strange to Omen, for Azrael had already proven himself much more powerful. But the scytheâ€™s terrible want for Omen’s demise kept him too busy to contemplate much. Omen fought with all he had, but Azrael’s combat prowess proved to be a mountain Omen could not seem to climb. Omen’s every strike was met with a parry, and after awhile Omen backed off, wondering what to do next. But as he stopped to watch Azrael again, he could tell that the energy of Death was weakening further. Omen could not understand why this was happening.

Then, it struck him. His major attack had burnt Azrael’s wings, almost destroying them. Omen remembered what Tre had said before, about the energies of a Watcher waning when their wings were damaged. This was the opportunity Omen needed. Omen lashed out in a viscous flurry. Azrael defended, but Omen could tell that he was weakening with each strike. The damage done to his wings had been significant. Before long, Omen began to get small strikes in, his blades sending their vile energetic poison into Azrael. Before long, Azrael was having difficulty keeping his guard up. When Omen was able to spin around Azreal and strike hard, slicing off his left wing, all present knew the fight would soon be over. For now Azrael’s immortal powers began to leave him, and yet Omen seemed to grow stronger in his rage.

Omen attacked without hesitation, striking Azrael on every side. He then removed his opponent’s right arm, as well as his left leg. The leg Omen tossed to Archie. His three heads argued back and forth amongst themselves over whose turn it was to devour the leg. The arm Omen held out as a joke, asking his supporters if they wished to shake hands with Azrael. This was met with roaring laughter and thunderous applause, as the Demons for once got to taunt their counterparts Above. The Watchers began to grumble and moan. But none of these things seemed to matter to Omen, as he slowly walked toward Azrael. He was attempting to drag himself back to his Watcher brethren with his remaining arm, but Omen cut off his retreat, moving directly between them.

Azrael spoke, his voice cracking, as Omen approached. “You have not won. What has been set into motion cannot be changed, you will see this for yourself very soon. Killing me makes little difference, you have come no closer to proving your side superior to ours.”

Omen smiled as he flipped Azrael over to face him. “We shall see about that…”

Azrael’s face was beaten, both with fist and with blade. Omen swung down on his adversary over and over again. As he did, he thought about all that had been done. All the lies, all the pain, all the misery, it all came flooding back in at once. Soon Azrael’s face was unrecognizable, and Omen was covered in blood. Omen reached down and ripped the armor off Azrael, then ripped away the tunic underneath. Omen disconnected his larger blade, and used it like a sickle to carve the Inverted Star into Azrael’s exposed chest. Once the symbol was complete Omen raised his arm, charged as much power as he could into the blade, and struck. There was a massive explosion of energy as the blow landed. Once everyone’s eyes had adjusted, Azrael was gone. He had been beaten, and his spirit had been banished. Omen knew not for how long, but for Omen the victory meant much more.

Omen looked at all the shocked faces, including many of those who had come claiming belief in Omen. But he understood, it is not a simple thing to defeat Death. Many have failed in the attempt before they even realize they have failed. But through one coincidence or another, mixed with just a bit of good fortune and a whole lot of faith in the Father, Omen had found a way. He had represented his own Honor, as well as the Honor of his Father, purely and capably. All these things Omen felt inside as the multitude that came with him began to sing and be merry. Omen joined them, and soon there was great music and dancing. There was a party in the Nether, in celebration of Omen’s victory.

The next day however, Omen was given information that upset him greatly. He was told that Azrael had returned from his banishment. When Omen asked how this could happen so soon, he was told that it was because a deal had been struck with the Father. The nature of the deal was unknown, but Omen was told that the mass speculation revolved around Azrael’s want to descend into the Pit and his inability to do so. For ever since the erecting of the Veil, it is impossible for the sides to cross into each other without severe consequences. So Azrael was left with very few options. The one that stood out to both he and the Father was being defeated by a warrior of Hell. Such is the Law, that if one of the warriors Below should best the ones Above that they are cast out from their Home. To the pure race of Watchers, there is no more disgraceful thing than being wholly beaten by the ones you Hate. Then, all the Father had to do was bring Azrael’s spirit back to the Pit. It was executed flawlessly, and Omen had been as unaware as everyone else about it. Once again, the Plans of the Father are not always known, but the reasons are understood when they are carried out. Azrael had been sent to Omen to harass him, to force him into a “life or death” situation. Then, he fought Omen, but he did not fight with all his strength, for it was his intention to lose. For only in true defeat could he descend into Hell. Thus, the Angel of Death progressed to the place he knew he belonged anyway, for Hell is the destination of the majority of dead Human souls.

That night, as Omen went out to pray, Azrael came to him. But he bore no weapons, nor any signs of malice. He descended to the ground, resting just a few feet away from Omen. It could be seen that he had changed significantly. The beauty he once held was gone, as if it had been melted away. The shine his eyes once held was gone, now Omen’s reflection stared back at him. Azrael reached out his hand toward Omen.

“I am sorry for the feud between us. But such was necessary. And had you known of the deception, you would not have fought with your everything. This was the only way to create the “show” necessary to allow my proper passage. For they would have tried to prevent it from happening, they would have cast my remnants to the wind. For now, with the Power of Death fully under our control, the Armies of Hell are stronger than ever. Be proud, you were used as a tool to make this happen. This is an honorable thing, even if it was not my full strength. After all, you know as well as I do that you as a Human fighting me with the full Power of the Heavens behind me is completely unfair, right?”

Omen cracked a smile as he walked forward and shook Azrael’s hand. “Well, someday I hope the Father changes that. When we are equal in strength, I would value a chance to battle you again.”

They dropped the handshake. Azrael turned to walk away. But before he did, he turned his head back towards Omen with a sly smile. “I will be seeing you again long before then Omen. You are part of much more than you realize, simply because you follow the Will and nothing else. Keep strong in your faith, perilous times are coming. Everything in your life will be ripped asunder, but from the ashes of it’s death you will be reborn. Someday you may even become the thing that Father intends.”

“Wait, you know of the Father’s Plan for me?”

“Of course. I would not have let any simpleton in training best me in front of the audiences of the Heavens and the Pit. What happened today made a strong point about the level of your strength. A lesson that shall not soon be forgotten, as they will reconsider any more Plans like the one that sent me here originally. This will keep you much better protected from their assaults. So on this day we have assisted one another. The only difference was I was aware of my service, and you were not. But today we both served the Will of the Dark Father, even as enemies on a battlefield. Keep that in mind when you question the honor in what has transpired here today.”

“Azrael, please, can you tall me what I need to know to become what Father has planned for me?”

“No Omen. Some things cannot simply be given. They have to be earned, and earning what He has for you will require more endurance than you could ever know. But stay strong, just as you did against me today, and this too you shall overcome. I look forward to our next encounter, and may it be on more pleasant terms.”

Omen bowed his head. “Thank you for coming to visit me Azrael. It was an honor to stand against one who has reaped the souls of Humanity for Ages, someone who is so well revered. May your Spirit channel through me should I ever be forced into a situation where my enemies’ death is the only answer. And may you find what you seek now that you have Fallen. I know I am not the first, but I’ll be the next to say it. Welcome Home Azrael.”

Azrael looked slightly shocked. “Thank you. So, that was what he meant. Truly you are special, for even as a Human you hold no grudge. Even standing face to face with someone who hours ago sought your death. And in reality, I have not heard that once since the Father Himself welcomed me upon my Awakening. So thank you Omen, the Pit truly is where I should have been ever since the reaping of Man became my task. For I am too impure in the energies of the dead to experience the full joy of the Heavens. Thus Hell is where I am most comfortable, and where I am now to stay.”

Then, Azrael left. As he reached the level of the sky he almost seemed to be encased in fire. Then, he was gone, and Omen was left with his own reality. For the first time since his claim to Satanism, he felt like he had been a proper servant. For rather than begging the Father to help him solve his problems, he was assisting the Father in matters of much greater import. Omen beamed as he continued his worship. He wished that time would stop, that the closeness he felt to the Father would never end. But as he walked back toward his room to sleep, he knew it had to. But Omen knew that, if he continued to serve faithfully, the Father would return to his side.

Omen awoke the next morning to a pounding at the door. This made no sense, as the morning after PT was made to be off from work due to mission pretext. But yet, Omen found his Platoon Sergeant standing at the door, demanding that he get in uniform and report to the Company. Omen did so, reporting in less than 10 minutes. Inside, Sgt. Brackets seemed upset about something. Moreover, he seemed upset in the way someone undergoing a major internal conflict would be. He barely spoke to Omen, and refused to look him in the eye. Omen felt the air of something terrible, and then he remembered Azrael’s warning. Could it be that what he warned about was happening now?

Omen was left to stand inside th Company as Sgt. Brackets was again called into the Commander’s office. Omen could feel it. More plans, more scheming. Today at some point Omen was supposed to give the class to the company. Maybe that was what they had called him in for, to ensure he had prepared himself properly to give the class as per his punishment. Perhaps he was over-reacting, but the feeling he could not fully describe did not agree. It was as if Omen could feel the others around him, in that several of them shared the same thought when they looked at him. The closest Omen could get to understanding the exact words behind the looks was, “Poor guy. Glad it’s not me”. Omen took a deep breath, working to calm his mind. If this was what Azrael had warned him about, then he must prepare for anything.

Finally, Sgt Brackets came out of the office. He told Omen that he had been called in to be read his Counseling Statement. When asked what offense he had committed, Brackens replied that it was a Counseling Statement for the incident that took place days ago. Omen was taken aback. He asked why he was being given a Counseling Statement for something that he had already been both counseled and punished for. The Sergeant’s response? “Did you perform the duty yet? Did you give the class yet? No? Then you can be re-counseled at any time, as the Chain sees necessary and fit.”

It was true. Omen felt the knife begin to slide in his back. Straight betrayal. The Commander had conspired to see Omen’s career ruined. But Omen had not given him a reason until now. He had expected Omen to shirk the class, calling the punishment unfair. In this way Omen could be punished further, and lose everything. When Omen complied without argument, the evil plans of the Commander had failed. As such he decided to abandon it completely, taking what little he had as reason to push for damage to be done to Omen’s career. This was going to be the culmination of months of the Commander’s constant scheming to see the “evil Satanist” put down, Omen just knew it. He followed Sgt. Brackens into the Commander’s office, prepared for whatever he had put in place.

The Commander had a Hate-filled stare when Omen entered the room. In his hands, he held the same Counseling Statement that Sgt. Brackets had written days before. The same Counseling Statement that, when Omen asked about it the first time, the Sergeant had said it would be destroyed, for with the Commander giving his own it was invalid. After the door was closed, the Commander proceeded to read it aloud. It was nothing especially well done, simply standards printed off the Internet, with the words changed slightly to not look copied. It spoke on the same exact offense that Omen had already been punished for, nothing else was added. But the difference was in the punishment. No longer did the Commander seek to fairly punish Omen for his wrongdoing, now he wanted Article 15. He wanted Omen’s rank, part of his paycheck, Extra Duty, he wanted it all. He was trying to have Omen reduced to nothing. Omen fumed with rage, but maintained his composure. During various instances when he was verbally insulting Omen as a person and as a soldier, he could be seen to look up nervously. It was almost as if the Commander had placed himself into this situation, attempting to make Omen reach across the desk and hit him. But Omen would do no such thing, he kept it together.

After he was released, Omen angrily left to go to lunch. He knew his Chain was nothing but a bunch of liars and back stabbers, for they had proven it to him firsthand. His Squad Leader demanded to go to chow with Omen, saying he was not in a condition to be out alone. Omen begrudgingly accepted, for as hard as they were looking for reasons to hurt him he would not be seen during the day without a Battle Buddy. During the bus ride to the Chow Hall, Omen thought harder on what had transpired. He saw all the examples that had already exited of all the Commander’s numerous attempts to force his silence. Now that everyone was already aware of the “Satanist in the Battalion”, he sought to be rid of the problem forever. For as long as Omen had been in the military, if demoted he was immediately qualified to be removed from the military completely. Omen also thought about what had recently transpired with Giselle. Azrael had been right, as Omen had expected. He did not face a single problem to overcome, his entire life was being forced to crumble around him. No amount of respectful apology for his actual disrespects, or any other form of attempt at peace, had been effective in any way. The Commander had labeled Omen his enemy, and as the Army training dictated, he was to destroy me entirely.

Omen rage began to boil over inside the DFAC. Omen began mumbling to himself in anger. But the level of his rage and want for proper Vengeance against the Commander turned into the same Hatred that was being thrown at him. Omen began to mention how, â€œsad it would be if the brake lines of every gun truck in our convoy just “mysteriously got cut before a mission”. Omen continued, spilling his Hate out to try and keep it under control. Nothing he said was actually meant, it was simply a verbalization of aggression, that the action might not be carried out instead. He finished his food, but continued to fume. Omen was told he had work to go do. He told his Squad Leader he was not in a correct mindset to be around the other soldiers, and refused tro return to work right away. But the aged Sergeant cared nothing for any but the orders of the Commander, and forced Omen back to the Company.

When they arrived, Omen stormed into the Company. As he did, the fear in the eyes of everyone was obvious. Some even had their magazines out, ready to shoot Omen if he became a violent threat. He burst into the Company, startling all inside. Many pretended they had business in the back office, shutting the door behind them. They had decided that if Omen was going to kill the Commander, they would stay out of his way. He walked up to the main table and removed the M-4 from his shoulder. He slammed it down on the table, then took the sidearm knife he always carried out and tossed it onto the table as well.

“I am not in a good frame of mind. As such, I am handing over these things, and reporting to Mental Health. I will return once I have calmed down, and I will collect these things then.”

Omen left the Company without so much as another word, slamming the door behind him. His Squad Leader chased after him, demanding that he stop. Omen refused, stating that visiting Mental Health was his right at any time he felt the need to do so. The Sergeant quickly scurried back into the Company to tell the Commander what Omen had said as he continued to storm down the road. Before long, Omen heard his name being screamed. He turned around to see his Squad Leader chasing him down, as fast as his stubby little legs and almost broken back would allow. Upon reaching Omen, he told the soldier that he had been instructed to go with him. Omen responded with a firm, “Whatever,” and kept walking. He cared little for how far behind him the Sergeant fell, unable to keep up with Omen’s ungodly walking pace.

Omen arrived at the Mental Health building, which lie just past the DFAC. He signed himself in, and gave the Specialist a basic overview of his reasons for being there. His Sergeant arrived soon after, panting and complaining about Omen’s inability to follow orders. Omen simply looked at him and snorted, he was completely fed up with their lies and nonsense. He sat on the leather couch inside the building and watched the television until he was called to the back. He was called back alone, based on privacy laws. First he was evaluated by a Sergeant, a very nice man who seemed purely concerned for Omen. After getting the basic description, Omen was sent out to wait again, as he was assigned a Counselor.

Omen sat on the couch, refusing to speak to his Squad Leader. More than once he had caught the man taking information to the Commander. He did this not out of necessity, but out of a need to make the Commander look highly on him, as he was about to retire. All he was after was an honorable discharge and a good recommendation, he had abandoned all the Values he was supposed to stand for. Integrity. Honor. Selfless Service. These Values, forced to be said by the soldiers since Basic Training, was supposed to be the heart of what the Army stood for. But in his unit, the words had come to mean nothing. They were the rock behind which the vile men hid, pretending to be more honorable than they were. For these reasons, Omen could not suffer their attacks on him any longer. For while he may have been a problem for them, he had maintained his own Integrity and Honor. He had not even ratted on his Battle Buddy on guard, a soldier known by all to be both a heavy Spice smoker and a close friend to members of the Chain. For this was where the soldier had really gone that night, and Omen knew it. Lost for a proper excuse, he spoke of generator mechanics that he could not find. But Omen had always known what he had been abandoned for, and yet still accepted their punishments before saying a word. For Omen’s definition of Honor did not allow tattling. Also, he knew they sought him as a target, and he was fed up with their scheming. Omen was ready to see this end, one way or the other.

Finally, Omen was called to the back again. His Counselor was a female Captain, and she greeted Omen with a smile. They went back into her office, near the rear of the building. There she asked Omen the details of what was going on. He described all that had been transpiring. He told her about the double standard, about how one group of soldiers continued to do all the details while the others stayed in their rooms. He told her about his impending separation from his wife. Omen told her about how he had informed his unit of this, but they refused to even allow him time to try and work out the details with her, no did they show any concern for his plight. He spoke on all the things that they had done that had caused his reaction. He told her every detail of what had been said and done, and the reasons for all of them. She seemed to agree with his reasons, but based on regulations the response was the same regardless. Omen was placed on a “Homicide Watch”. This would last 3 days. During those 3 days, Omen would be watched by an NCO the entire 24 hours. He would be guarded awake and asleep, to ensure that nothing bad happened. Omen accepted the lockdown, adding in only that, “In three days, once I’ve proven that words spoken in anger and actions are not the same, I expect to be released from this lockdown, and continue readying myself to go home”

Omen returned to the building’s lobby. There he met again with his Squad Leader. His Counselor spoke with his Squad Leader about the limitations of the Watch he was being placed under. He signed a paper making him the escort for Omen out of the Mental Health building, and that he would be taken straight back to the Company. Omen did so without complaint. But upon his arrival, the faces of all the other soldiers had changed. For while Omen was inside the session, his Squad Leader had met with the Commander. He had told him every word of what Omen had said in the DFAC. The Commander took advantage of this, making Omen out to be a major threat to everyone in the Company. As such, Omen was immediately moved into the Company. By the regulations, the Watch Omen was under required his supervision to be held at the Company to maintain its effectiveness. The Commander seemed to love the fact that Omen could not even go outside to smoke without being joined at the hip to his Squad Leader. But his joy soon turned to agitation. For the lockdown meant that Omen would be present at the Company all day long, but also had been removed from all details. Thus they could not simply keep pushing more work on him.

The Commander grew sick of seeing the thing he Hated inside “his Company building”. It was not long before Omen was forcibly ejected from the Company, completely violating the regulations. Instead, Omen was moved into the Distro Platoon Office inside the Motor Pool Bay. The office was already packed with a two desks and chairs, as well as storage containers for their personal needs. The office was normally reserved for the Platoon Sergeant and Platoon Leader. But lately, due to the unit’s nonsense, more often than not it housed lower soldiers as they waited for orders that never came. Now, Omen was given a military cot, and told to make it work somehow.

Omen set up his cot, then demanded the right to go to his room, shower, and retrieve some personal effects for the night. At first he was refused, forced to stay in the small room with nothing. But later in the day he was finally released to handle his business, and he wasted no time. For his Sergeant escorted Omen everywhere, including to his room. He waited outside the door as Omen gathered his things together and changed into PTs. Omen took his time in the shower, as he had not had an opportunity in two days. He then grabbed his bag and returned to the prison in which he was being confined. Upon their return, Omen began to set up his station. He ran an extension cord to the wall, then plugged his laptop into the extension cord. Omen lay down on the cot, finally ready to take a break from the military’s nonsense.

But Omen soon realized the extent of his unit’s vileness. For Omen soon found that the wireless Internet used by the majority of the base did not reach into the Motor Pool. This meant, yet again, Omen was being prevented from discussing anything with Giselle about their impending divorce. Omen pleaded to his Squad Leader for a chance to do this, and he was denied. He was told that he had been ordered to go nowhere unless told to by his Squad Leader. Omen grumbled under his breath, for he now knew better than to allow his Sergeant to hear anything other than yes or no from his mouth. This was because his Sergeant would immediately run the information to the Commander. And Omen realized he could do nothing to stop this, so he resigned to laying down and watching movies on his laptop.

Later that evening, Omen felt the need to worship. He told his Sergeant he wished to go out into the Motor Pool and pray, but he was denied vehemently. The orders were clear, Omen was not allowed outside alone. And his Sergeant refused to follow Omen, as his Christian upbringing had instilled many archaic values into him that were inappropriate, and made him feel justified for his prejudice. But this was an offense Omen would not stand for.

“I’m going to pray, one way or another. You have no legal right to prevent my worship, it is a violation of my Freedom of Religion.”

“You signed the contract. You are government property now. If your religion is not listed as a military approved religion, we have the right to order you to stop practicing it.”

Omen glared down at his Squad Leader. “You are lying, and you know it. Constitutional Law supercedes any and all signed agreements, as the precedent has stood for longer and was agreed to by many instead of one. You cannot stop me from believing, and you will not stop me from my worship. If you try, tomorrow you will be following me to JAG, where we can discuss the legalities with those whose job law is.”

He stuttered. His Sergeant had lost his advantage, and now was losing the argument entirely. He had nothing left to speak of that could possibly overrule the truth in Omen’s words. As such, he went back to one of his favorites.

“Just shut up and do as you’re told. If you just get through these three days, then everything can go back to normal again.”

“Normal? You mean the normal where you and your superiors lie repeatedly, and work to see my career destroyed? The normal where I do my job to take care of my unit, but my unit refuses to take care of me? The normal where a soldier deployed enduring a divorce is not even asked about the condition of the situation? The normal where none of you care about anyone other than yourselves, and furthering your own careers? If that’s what normal is, then every normal thing on this planet deserves to rot away and die.” Omen glared hard at his NCO. “And someday they will, my Father has little patience for the rotten and self-serving.”

Omen turned toward the door. His leader made a move to grab his arm, as if to prevent him from leaving. Omen swatted his NCO hand away, and opened the door to the bay. He stood there, staring at it for a moment. He then turned back to his Squad Leader, an egotistical grin on his face.

“That’s what we will do. Sergeant, I’m going to worship, whether you like it or not. However, to prevent interference from our “friend” the Commander, I will be doing so here, inside the bay. Stay in here, and put on your headphones. This way you will not have to listen to my praise to the Father. You may check on me at any time, you will find me pacing back and forth around this bay as I sing.”

An argument was attempted, but stopped. Omen left the office and began to sing. He was not interrupted, as his Sergeant had finally given up. For the next hour or so Omen sang until his throat hurt. For even in these darkest of times, Omen’s faith had not changed. Omen was aware that his life was slowly falling apart. But he also knew the Father was not to blame for these things. It was the Hateful and Prejudicial eyes of Men that had placed Omen in such misery. Omen’s enemies in this fight were Human, but they could not be battled in the usual way. But there were ways, a fact that the Father reminded Omen of as he prayed. “There is always a back door, always another way to reach your goal,” He said as He left Omen for the evening. Omen returned to the side comments of his NCO about the quality of his singing. Omen ignored it, placing on his headphones and turning on another movie. But the movie was only background noise. Omen spent his time pondering what the Father had said, and what other means might be available to stop the discrimination. As he slept, Omen found solace in the arms of Serras, who had come to comfort him. Omen was held in tight to her bosom as he drifted off to sleep, and in his dreams she was waiting. Omen’s Human life might have been in chaos, but at least Serras made his dreams enjoyable.

Omen had to suffer through 3 days of this torture, but he was prepared. If nothing else, his training and battles over the last several months had tempered Omen’s soul, making their attacks seem to flow right off. Omen’s day was a mess. The upside of the day began when Omen found out that he could not be a part of PT while on the lockdown, so he got some extra rest. AFter that, his day consisted of whatever details he was assigned to. His Sergeant went with him everywhere, as such Omen had not time to think to himself. For the Sergeant always had to run his mouth about some mindless nonsense or another, from TV shows to his opinions on how Omen should live his life. Omen was forced to endure this vocal vomiting the entire day. Even at mealtime he was forced to stare down the same rat who had opened his mouth to the Commander more than once. But Omen brushed it off, tending to stay inside his own mind, focused on the things he had done recently. He would not allow the honor and dignity he had earned outside Earth to become besmirched by the rottenness of G Co.

Each day, Omen was also required to have a session of counseling at the Mental Health Clinic. Omen sat with the female Captain each day, and answered any question she asked honestly. Everything from the state of his unit to his religion was discussed. The Captain was an obvious disbeliever, one whose mind is trained to know only what it can see. As such she casually wrote her notes as Omen recounted the stories of the last year. She seemed to be on Omen’s side, agreeing with him that something should be done. She suggested Omen visit JAG, and ask them for help. Omen told her her would do so, but that he would wait until after the lockdown had ended, when he would be free to move unhindered. She also advised Omen to stay strong, for there was only a short time left until they went home. She told him to think about how much fun he would have on leave after he got back. But in his mind, Omen did not see such a happy return. He could not see the reasons as to why, but he felt the joy of the return would be drowned in misery.

Finally, the three days passed. Omen almost skipped to the Mental Health building, so excited to have his freedom again. He sat down with his Counselor, and they spoke as usual.Towards the end, Omen asked her if there was any paperwork he needed to take back with him to the unit to make the ending of the lockdown official. Suddenly, the Captain’s face darkened, as if she had seen something terrible that she could not stop.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot end your lockdown.”

“What do you mean you cannot end it? You started it! If you do not have the power to end your own lockdown, I want to know who does and why it cannot end.”

“I got a call earlier today. Your unit has taken control of your lockdown. I no longer have anything to do with it, I simply answer whatever questions I am allowed to by law. But now, the only person that can end your lockdown is your Commander.”

The color drained out of Omen’s face. “You mean to tell me that you put the safety of my future sanity and freedom in the hands of the same person that I have told you multiple times wants to see harm done to me? And you have the nerve to say I’m the one with a mental problem? Do you not realize what you have allowed to happen?”

I’m sorry. Your Commander called earlier, and made a compelling argument as to why your lockdown should exist under unit control. As such I granted unit control of the lockdown, and all unit decisions are made by it’s Commander. I cannot change this process now, it is already done. Perhaps you can find a way to make peace with your Commander? Perhaps an apology?”

Omen’s head turned sharply. He had questioned it since he heard the description of what happened. She was played. The Commander had used military jargon to wrap her mind to his way of thinking. He had lied to her, just the same as he lied to everyone else. In her ignorance, she had fallen for it, and given full control of Omen to his enemy. He jumped up from his chair, startling the Captain. He began to walk out the door.

“Where are you going?”

“Away from you. You have no idea what you have done. But I’m sure I’ll have plenty to tell you by our next session. But for now, I have to go deal with the severe effects of your stupidity and gullibility. So thanks alot, I’ll see you tomorrow.

6

It had been 15 days now. Omen now found himself inside the same room that he had stayed in before. But he was not alone, his Sergeant was also his roommate. Omen was still on the lockdown, for as much as that could be considered. For because of the extent of time which the lockdown had been maintained, even the Sergeants grew tired of it. Suddenly, Omen’s Squad Leader was allowing him periods of time to go visit Tre without escort. The monotony of following around a soldier that has proven they are not a threat had begun to wear on the aged NCO, so he tried to pawn it off on his subordinate. At times Omen would be passed from one NCO to another, as they suddenly assumed authority over him. This was yet another blatant violation of the regulations, but Omen had recently discovered that was an expected thing.

Omen had forced his Sergeant to allow him to visit JAG. This was not allowed to happen before he could run and tell the Commander about their intended destination, however. But that did not stop Omen from going, only to find out that the majority of JAG was packed up for the movement home. They recommend Omen speak with the Inspector General, the military

s Internal Affairs. But when it was attempted, it was found that JAG was too busy investigating all the various Spice rings present in country to send an investigations team into Omen’s unit.

Desperate for help, and out of options, Omen went to visit the Battalion Equal Opportunity Sergeant. This was fortunate, as they had met once before on a mission Omen ran for them. Once Omen told him the story surrounding the situation with the Commander, the Sergeant immediately jumped into action. He phoned the Brigade EO, and the Brigade Commander, who was away at another base. But those roads led nowhere. The Brigade EO rep said the following, “What the Commander is doing is not right, but also technically not illegal. And unless you have some form of proof that he is discriminating against you based on your religion, I cannot and will not pursue this”. The Brigade Commander brought even less help, as Omen’s Commander had already called him and lied about what was going on. As such the Lieutenant Colonel gave this response to his EO rep, a soldier under his direct command, “Close out your case. I have already been informed of the situation, and I am allowing the Command Decisions to stand while I am away. There will be no more investigation on this issue, and we will never speak of it again.”

So it was true. Omen was trapped, and there was no one to help him. He was forced to simply endure the harsh treatment and the constant details. He was also forced to wake up each night and go with his NCO on the guard changeover. They did this simply because they did not want to spare another NCO to get out of bed to watch Omen, or to just leave him asleep. In response to this, Omen began to drive the bus that transported troops to and from Vehicle Search Detail. When he found out, a new policy was issued across G Co, preventing any soldier E-4 and below from driving the buses. This made Omen’s attempt at a moment’s joy illegal. As each day passed, Omen would sit and question what would possess a man to seek such harm on another. But the reason always brought a smile to his face.

Fear was the reason. The Commander was deathly afraid of Omen now, unsure if and when Omen’s vengeful hands would come for his throat. It was known by many that the Commander started sleeping with a loaded pistol right next to his bed, which could be heard to ready every time a knock came at his door. He was seen carrying the same loaded pistol, illegal to do on a military installation, from his room to the bathroom at night. He was even caught with his pistol loaded in the DFAC. It seemed the Commander’s fear of Omen had driven him to shirk all standards.

Tre shed some light on this. “Your Commander is in a very bad situation. He attacks one of His Children without cause. Also, you have made many friends in the Other Realms. One especially is very fond of you, and has made it a point to exact herself what vengeance you cannot.”

“Serras?”

“Yes. She has been assaulting his dreams. He has seen himself die by your hands in every way imaginable in his dreams. The fear of this impending doom is what causes him to carry the pistol. It even possessed him so far as to reach out to the Battalion Chaplain, asking him to bless the bottom 4 rounds in each of his magazines. You know, just in case regular bullets aren’t enough to, “send the Demon back to Hell,” as he put it. His fear is slowly destroying his mind. But he is also being warned. He has been given a chance to stop, to make the Article 15 go away. But he stubbornly refuses, and thus he must be dealt with instead. Know that no matter what you suffer because of this, he will suffer much worse. For assaulting an innocent servant in the performance of his duties, your Commander and NCOs are cursed. Their vileness brings this upon them, and now vileness is all they shall have. This curse will transfer down through their families for generations before fading, it is quite the strong magic. Suffice to say, your Father is pissed.”

“Oh well, tomorrow is the big day, and I know He will be there with me.”

“Oh right, the Article 15 hearing. Wait, wasn’t that supposed to be today?”

“Yes, but there was a complication. They did not explain the process of bringing witnesses in to me beforehand. So the Battalion Commander gave me an extra day to acquire those witnesses I wished to present. Would you mind speaking to them on my behalf?”

“I am not exactly in the best standing with my unit right now. And they really don’t like you. But you know if I am asked and capable I will be there. What do you want me to say?”

“Just tell them the truth. About all the stupid bullshit they throw at me, the double standards, the way they constantly judge me based on my religious preference,and whatever else needs said to make the point that G Co is the problem, not me. You are mostly there to speak on my character, but you may do as you see fit.”

“Ok, I’ll go inform my Team Leader now, so they know not to add me to any details tomorrow. But it should be fine, I am not scheduled to be on any missions.”

Omen returned to his cot in the Motor Pool with a good feeling. For he knew Tre above all would not be forced into submission by his unit, and would speak the truth. But the next day, as Omen stood in front of Battalion waiting, Tre was nowhere to be found. Eventually, Omen had no choice but to enter the hearing alone, and explain to his Battalion Commander that his selected witnesses were not in attendance, even though he had asked them to be.

Omen was called into the Colonel’s office. He stood at attention, then at parade rest, as his Battalion Commander listed his offenses. He spoke on the sleeping on duty again, also on the “verbal threats made against the Chain of Command, as well as 17 other “unspecified people””. After he had finished reading the entirety of the Article 15 paperwork to Omen, he stopped and stared intently.

“What do you have to say in response to these charges against you?”

“Sir, I accept and have accepted my fault for sleeping on duty, even if I was abandoned by my Battle Buddy. I accepted the original punishment for it without complaint as well.”

“What original punishment?”

Omen recounted the process of events for his Colonel. Upon his mention of the original Counseling Statement, the class that was to be given, and the other original punishments, he was stopped.

“I do not have data on any of this. Where is thins inside the packet?”

“Sir, the packet you showed me and read to me is incomplete. The original Counseling Statement was stricken from the record, so that this Article 15 process could happen.”

The Colonel, stared down the G Co Chain of Command. “Where is the proof of what you say? Until I have proof these are merely wild stories and accusations.”

Omen produced a folder that he had been hiding from his Chain of Command. Inside was everything given to him since the situation began. He produced his copy of the Article 15 paperwork, as well as the original Counseling Statement. He handed them to the Colonel, who spent several minutes looking at them.

“Okay, so, this situation is not making any sense to me. I want you to do this: give me a timeline. Tell me each thing that happened, in the order they happened.”

Omen started over, giving specifics on each event. The Chain was not allowed to speak, simply to watch Omen prove them all liars. He was stopped several times by the Colonel, who was writing each thing down on paper to ensure the facts were correct. After Omen had finished the tale, the endpoint being his current lockdown and the constant mistreatment, he stood and awaited the Colonel’s response.

The Colonel sighed. “Soldier, go wait outside. I have heard all I need to hear from your end, now I need to speak to your Chain.”

“Yes sir.â” Omen went back to attention, did an about face, and left the office. He stood outside the door for a few minutes. But as time continued to drag on, Omen needed to sit down. He went down the hall to the main Battalion Meeting Room, where all the important meetings between unit and company level commanders happen. The room was empty, so he sat in the first chair he could find. Time drug on so long that Omen was even able to sneak in a couple quick drags off a cigarette in order to calm his nerves.

As Omen sat in the chair waiting, from down the hall he overheard the muffled conversation. It seemed that the Colonel had realized the breadth of the lies he had been told about Omen. All Omen could hear was the muffled yelling of the Colonel, followed closely by a the quiet, dejected voice of his Commander. This process last for almost 45 minutes before Omen was finally called back inside. He stood back in front of the Colonel’s desk, awaiting his fate.

“After speaking to your Chain of Command extensively, as well as the evidence provided, I have reached a decision. I do not believe that everything written in this packet is correct. There are proven flaws in paperwork, as well this entire situation seems to have blown way out of proportion. However, you were in violation of regulations for sleeping on duty, as well you are not allowed to make the kinds of statements you did about your fellow soldiers. Do you agree with this?”

“Yes sir, I have accepted and apologized for my individual mistakes more than once, and I had attempted to accept punishment for it once already.”

“Good. Then I shall give you the finality you seek. You will be placed on Battalion Extra duty for 45 days, the maximum allowed. You will also be placed on restriction for 45 days, though you cannot leave the base anyway. I am not taking any money from you, as I understand you have marital issues at home, and may need that money. I am demoting you to PFC, but I am suspending that for 180 days. As long as during that period of time you do not get into any more trouble, you will remain a SPC. Do you understand the punishment placed on you?”

“Yes sir, and I am ready to comply.”

“Good. I have seen you in the gym soldier, I have seen the level of effort you put forth. It is my firm belief that you are a much better soldier than I am led to believe. Prove me right soldier, prove me right.”

“It would be my pleasure sir. But I do have a question for you. What about the situation regarding my lockdown? What must be done to make this end?”

The Colonel’s face tightened. The mention of the lockdown had obviously upset the Colonel. “Oh yes. As far as that goes, by my order your lockdown ends as of right now. There is no reason for this, and I am tired of my NCOs wasting their time guarding a soldier when there are missions to be done.”

Out of his peripheral vision, Omen saw his Commander’s response. He did not move, but in his eyes Omen saw the rage. He was angry that again he had failed, and Omen’s career remained intact. The face of the First Sergeant was stern but understanding, as he had not wanted to be a part of the entire thing since the beginning. Omen’s Platoon Sergeant and Platoon Leader remained still, as they had obviously had some serious fear placed into them.

“Thank you so much sir. You have no idea how much this means to me, that you took the time to see the truth. I will be here promptly at 1700 to begin my Extra Duty.”

“You are dismissed soldier. Go and show me why I made this decision, don’t you dare let me down.”

Omen turned and exited the room. As he left the Battalion, he was approached by a Sergeant he knew that worked there. He was somewhat aware of the situation, as was most of the Battalion. Omen told him the results of the hearing, and he seemed to be happy at hearing it.

“That’s great. Now you can get on with your life.”

“I do not believe that for a second. This isn’t over.”

“Why would you say a thing like that? Aren’t you happy to have your freedom again?”

“Of course. But you did not see his face. This was not the final axe that cut off the head of the snake, as such he is not satisfied. This is a thing that I know, it is not questioned. Mark my words Sergeant, another plan will surface soon enough.”

“If you say so soldier. But I still think you are over-reacting. This isnâ€™t TV, this is real life. Maniacal scheming such as you describe doesn’t really happen, it is a myth soldiers tell to one another.”

“As you just stated, if you say so Sergeant. Keep an eye on me, and we shall both soon know which one of us is correct.”

For the first time in weeks, Omen was able to sneak away to chow alone. He sat in peace and solitude, happily enjoying his first meal away from his Squad Leader. But as he did, he considered what would come next. After all, the Commander had not hesitated to enact this plan. But whatever he might use was shrouded in mystery, so Omen discontinued the thought process. Besides, he didnâ€™t have time to sit around, he had to report to his first day of Extra Duty soon. Omen rushed out of the DFAC, to ensure he was early rather than on time.

Omen reported the the NCOIC for his detail. He was given a quick tour of all the rooms in the Battalion building, as well as his list of daily responsibilities. Omen started by acquiring a large trash bag and policing up all trash and cigarette butts around the area. This allowed Omen time to walk around and think, as well as speak with the Father. Afterward Omen moved inside the building. He swept every room, he collected the trash in all the various cans. He was even allowed unlimited access inside the Sergeant Major and Colonel’s offices. He took a moment to look at the various souvenirs his Sergeant Major, who was still gone, had collected. He noticed how many important documents the Colonel left in his bin to be recycled. Even at the passing glance of one busy completing a task, the names and personal information of many soldiers in his unit was seen. Omen memorized nothing, for he had no interest in the data. He simply questioned the correctness of allowing such papers to remain anywhere except a shredder. But he piled the papers inside the trash bag, almost finishing the third task. He piled the trash bags outside the Battalion, then returned inside.

Omen began stocking the water. First, the bottles had to be wiped down, for in the Battalion they did not allow dirty water in the fridge. After wiping them, Omen completely restocked the refrigerator to capacity, so that it might support the soldiers in hydration the following day. Then he went outside, bringing in packages of bottled water from the pallet outside. Many of the packages broke to pieces upon being grabbed, after sitting in the sun for so long. Omen took the packages and stocked the area next to the cooler. This was done because of the “drink one, take one” rule, one which almost none seemed to follow. Omen made sure to chug one of the cold bottles of water as he worked, for Omen knew well the value of hydration. It had saved him many times in which the Father had told him not to touch food for a time.

After the water was stocked, Omen went into the main Operations office. During times of mission or combat the wall is used for large scale overlays of mission terrain and routes. But now it simply played a movie, as those monitoring the computers watched and talked amongst themselves. Omen collected their trash and paper, also getting permission to grab a can of soda on his way out. He took the collected trash to the pile he had already made. All the trash bags were collected together and slung over Omen;s shoulders. He walked down the road that led from Battalion to the Motor pool. At the outside edge of the Motor Pool Omen came to the burn barrels, used to burn the entirety of important documents in the Battalion, among other things.

Omen opened the trash bags, dumping out their contents. On top of them Omen layered the papers, as they were more easily combustible. He attempted to light the fire, but found it would not stay burning long. Too many pieces of wet trash prevented this. Omen looked around, and found two tan canisters. Omen excitedly picked them up, but they were found to be empty. This upset Omen, but did not slow him for long. For it was nighttime, and few soldiers moved around the area. Omen made his way over to his unit’s area inside the Motor Pool. Omen used all the various training his unit had forced upon him to open the fuel trucks. He filled one of the canisters with the high-grade JP8 used in military vehicles, and the other with regular unleaded gasoline. He returned to the burn barrels with an evil grin, as a plan had formed.

Omen set the fuel cans down beside the burning area. He reached inside the trash cans, producing several water bottles. He emptied the contents, then lined them up along the stone barrier. He grabbed them one at a time, removing the cap. Each bottle was filled halfway with JP8, and halfway with unleaded. Each bottle then had its lid returned, and again was stacked on the backside of the barrier. Afterwards Omen Poured more gasoline down across the trash inside the barrels, stirring it and ensuring it was well mixed in. Omen lit a piece of paper aflame and tossed it into the first barrel. It exploded in flames, which brought a smile of pure joy to Omen’s face. This was done twice, one for each barrel. Once he had the barrels burning, his job was simply to monitor them until everything was ash. But as he did so, Omen heard the Father’s voice. Suddenly, he realized he had been given a great gift. In the Darkness of night did Omen sing out, as the fires burned around him. He used the bottles of fuel to give new life to the flames at any point they began to die. But Omen also used them to make the flames reach even higher, as 15-foot flames shot into the sky, Omen was very sure to keep any other combustibles away from the area, including the spare bottles and jugs of fuel. Omen knew from his training how to perfectly control a massive fire, and for hours he prayed as the trash burned away.

Afterwards, Omen reported back to Battalion. His tasks were complete, but the detail did not end until midnight. Thus Omen was forced to sit in a break room in the back for quite awhile, fighting against his weariness. Midnight struck, Omen was released by the NCOIC, and he left the Battalion. He walked back to his room, took time to shower and change, and laid down to rest. It had been a good day overall, but Omen knew that there was much more he would face before his return to the States.

The next month brought massive change. The unit prepared not only for themselves to leave Iraq, but for the dismantling of the entire base. For the military occupation of Iraq was to end, and as such everything they owned had to be shipped away. Every day a new mission was assigned, as one thing after another was either stored away or destroyed. This made for very busy days, but at times this also gave Omen interesting opportunities. The first came when the Battalion cleaned out the barracks that had been recently evacuated. They found multiple “gear crosses”, devices built out of wood to easily hold the helmet and body armor. The design was simple, a wooden cross slid inside the center of other pieces of wood, creating a stable base that can hold much weight. The unit told Omen to “get rid” of the crosses, and as soon as they did it brought a smile to Omen’s face. For his birthday was coming, and as usual Omen wanted to do something special for his Father. He hid the crosses away, knowing full well the next day they would be put to use.

Omen’s birthday progressed like any other day. He was pulled for missions, alongside his Squad Leader. He worked on whatever he was told, though he consistently complained about the ineffectiveness of their planning procedures. He continued to suggest ways in which the unit could finish their tasks, but every time he was ignored. Seeing this, Omen began to do the smaller missions alone, before the unit could get involved. In this way he allowed himself more time in between work and Extra Duty. During this time Omen prepared everything he would need for the evening. Then he went to dinner as usual, eating well so he would not be bothered by hunger.

The evening seemed to pass faster than usual. Omen’s tasks were completed at double their usual speed without his intent to do so. This left him with much extra time to prepare for the evening’s ritual, which he had planned the previous day. Omen wandered around the Battalion for quite some time, anxiously awaiting the right to move to the burning area. He dropped off the trash, then walked back to his unit area. He produced the crosses from their hiding places, moving back towards the barrels. He assembled all three barrels, filling them with trash and paper. At the top of each barrel Omen situated one of the crosses, making sure to stuff paper around it for balance. The person with which he shared the detail on this evening stood in amazement as Omen readied the barrels. After they were built, Omen soaked the entirety of them in his fuel mixture. He left it soak for several minutes, as he handed his camera to the other soldier. He explained what he would be doing, and that he required various pictures to be taken of the event. Omen prepared many water bottles of fuel for the worship, making sure all were accessible but not within range of any fires.

Finally, everything was ready. Omen took off the jacket of his uniform so he would not be as constricted. He placed on his headphones and began to sing. Omen felt the Spirits of the Father and the others come into the area. As he sang Omen threw more and more of the gasoline on the fire, making the flames rise even higher. As time passed, one of the crosses fell out of the barrel it was placed in. It was still on fire, but that did not scare Omen at all. He walked over calmly and picked the cross up by the base, which was not burning. As his counterpart starred on in amazement, Omen raised the burning cross right next to his face.

“Take the picture.”

His counterpart did as he was told, taking a quick picture of Omen. Omen replaced the cross into the barrel, then continued to sing proudly. As he did he stared into the fire, and heard the Father’s Voice. Without question, Omen removed the Baphomet pendant from around his neck. He reached out, holding the pendant over the blaze. He continued to sing as the fire singed the hairs on his arm and his skin began to burn a bit. After a minute or so, Omen pulled his hand back. He quickly spun the pendant around, pressing it into the back of his right hand. Omen held the pendant there until the burning subsided and the pendant cooled. Upon removing it, and almost perfect copy of the Baphomet had been burned into Omen’s hand. Omen pulled out the medical kit he had brought with him, immediately wrapping the wound.

The other soldier stared at Omen wide-eyed. “Dude, that was insane. You’re a fucking animal.”

Omen smiled. “Not really, this is just how I chose to celebrate my birthday, in ritual to my Father.”

“Well, I’ll say this: If Christians were as dedicated to their faith as you are, the world would be much more peaceful.”

“Doubtful, as Christianity breeds Hatred and intolerance for others’ life choices.”

“So you hate Christians?”

“No, not more than any other group in the world. For the divisional religious and governmental organizations all seem to want to oppress real faith, and that I have a severe problem with.”

“And what can we do about it? Go to war with the whole world?”

“If that’s what it takes, though I’d prefer a more peaceful solution.”

The soldier laughed heartily, assuming Omen’s statement was a joke. But Omen had been told that he was not to allow himself to be the constant victim of the slings and arrows of Humanity anymore, so he had learned to stand with pride. This pride was seen more often than not as defiance and arrogance, and his unit tried to revolt against it. But more and more since the Article 15 hearing, Omen had been repeatedly winning them. It seemed Omen’s newfound strength of will was simply too much for the Chain to handle, and before long Omen became independent in his work. Aside from his Squad Leader, who accompanied him almost every day, Omen was rarely seen to work around any of the other soldiers, unless a mission was forthcoming. During trips to the other base, Omen would regularly be found at night singing loudly before they left to return home. Omen no longer hid any detail of his faith from anyone, freely answering any questions asked. Through this, many people were led to a change in perspective, whether spiritual or military.

But the Chain had not stopped in their quest to destroy Omen. As he had predicted, within weeks a stack of three Counseling Statements had been written. Of the three, only one Statement even remotely described what happened. The rest were pure lies, and so Omen began refusing to sign the Statements. He knew what was coming, and he didn’t bother fighting it. Soon they had what they needed, and Omen’s rank was stripped as per the original Article 15. Now a PFC, Omen was given even less respect than before. But it changed nothing in his heart, for Omen’s thoughts stayed with the Father.

Finally, the Sergeant Major returned. He and Omen sat down his first day back, having a lengthly discussion about what had happened. The Sergeant Major stated that he had heard some of the situation, but that most of these details had not been given to him. He told Omen that he wished he had been around to stop this madness from happening at all, but Omen raised his hand calling for silence.

“Don’t worry about it Sergeant Major. I have known that this was going to happen since before it started. Each and every time my rotten Commander stabs me in the back, or orders his NCOs to do so, it simply validates what I have been saying all along. Not only that I was warned about this impending chaos prior to it, but that my unit is corrupt and rotten.”

The Sergeant Major seemed agitated. “I am still your Sergeant Major, and your comments about your Chain of Command just now were highly disrespectful.”

“Sergeant Major, it cannot be disrespectful if it is honest. I simply state facts, proven over the course of months. Would you prefer I stay silent as they mistreat me? Sorry, but I refuse that order on the basis of immorality. Its time someone learned that in order to be shown respect you have to show it in return as well.”

“Tell me then soldier, what can I do to help you?”

“It is already to late to stop the Article 15, my wife is already set to divorce me, and thanks to the recent lies I am now a PFC. What can be done to fix any of those things? The answer is nothing Sergeant Major, and we both know it. But there is one thing you can do for me…”

“What?”

“Have me transferred to another unit. Even if it is temporary, and in a support capacity. I cannot suffer the nonsense any more. I have no issue with my Extra Duty, because it is carried out as a fair punishment. The standards do not change each day, nor am I complained at for the methods I use to clean the building. But all these things, which sound comical, are exactly what life is like in G Co. As a person with a working brain, rather than a mindless military drone, their disrespect to the Values that the Army is said to stand for makes me sick. I want moved, as soon as possible.”

The Sergeant Major sat back in his chair and sighed heavily. “Sadly, I cannot do that. Everyone is packing up to go home, there is no need for individual transfers. Besides, with all the recent paperwork filed on you, an outside unit will see you as a hazard to their stability. A transfer is not possible, by any stretch of the imagination.”

Omen grew slightly angry. “So what then, I’m just screwed Sergeant Major? I’m just supposed to sit around and let them play games with me until I actually do something stupid? I know that’s what he wants, but that doesn’t mean it is what I want. But if nothing can be done, it would be a seeming eventuality. So is that it Sergeant Major, you just want me to sit and take more abuse till I’ve been pushed past my limit?”

His eyes grew wide. “No, that’s not what we want at all. You are a bright young man, and have the potential to be an excellent soldier. But it seems your religion constantly puts you at odds with others around you. Do you have any explanation for this?”

“They make the choice to hate me for being a Satanist. They chose to insult, ridicule, and mistreat me. I cannot choose these things for them. Based on that, maybe you should ask them why they are so intolerant of my faith.”

“That’s true. But as the Battalion Sergeant Major, I cannot allow this chaos and confrontation to continue under my command. However, i also would not even bother to ask you to drop your faith, for that is an illegal order. American religious freedom is protected in the Constitution, it is one of our basic rights. So, I propose the possibility of another solution.”

Omen was intrigued. “Another option? I’m all ears, what can get me away from these pricks?”

“Once I had a soldier under my command. He decided during his career that he wished to become a minister. He was asked if he would become a Chaplain, and he refused. He said he was led a different way, that the Values of himself and the Army were not the same. Based on this, I filed the appropriate paperwork, and had him chaptered. This was not a removal based on offense, I simply gave him the way out he had been looking for. He was discharged Honorably, and as far as I know is now a Pastor.”

Omen contemplated for a second. “You mean to tell me you can get me out of the Army based on my religion, so I can follow the path my faith leads me down?”

“Yes. Because it is not a recognized military religion it cannot be placed under the same protections. This is a flaw in the system, recognizing only certain approved religions. But it exists nonetheless, so we must figure out how to get what you want out of this. But first, you have to answer that question totally honestly to me. What do you really want?”

“Please don’t ask me that Sergeant Major.”

“No, I want an answer. Tell me the truth, tell me what you want. I will not judge anything you say.”

“Ok, fine.” Omen took a deep breath. “What I would truly wish is that you would force my Commander to participate in Unarmed Combat against me, submission only rules, with his seat as Company Commander on the line if he loses. I wish I could legally get away with giving people what they deserve. But I know that will never happen, and so I’ve let it go. I have come to understand that the Army itself is not a disgusting thing, but people such as my Commander make it seem to be that way. They disgrace every one of the seven Army Values with their actions. So if you say this is the only way to get me away from this man that seeks to see my life in shambles, then please see if it can be done. I do not want to end my career before my contract’s end, but it seems that staying will have me dead or in jail. Do what you can for me Sergeant Major, and you will have earned my respect for it.”

The Sergeant Major’s mouth was wide open. “I…I don’t know what to say about that. The fact that any soldier would accuse his unit of such atrocities is beyond belief. But for that same soldier to be the one that helped me out is even more amazing. For this reason I cannot help but believe what you have told me. I will work on finding a way to get you chaptered out of here under Honorable conditions. This way, you can move on with your life the way you choose to.”

Omen snapped to a firm parade rest. “Thank you Sergeant Major. With your permission, I would like to return to my Extra Duty.”

He nodded. “Get back to work soldier. Dismissed.”

Several days passed without event. Omen began to enjoy his detail, as the Battalion began sending him away by himself to work. He was asked to transport water across the base by forklift, stock coolers in various locations, and assist the Battalion as they moved locations. During the day, Omen’s unit moved as well. Their new home was an older set of barracks next to the DFAC. He lived with the same three roommates, but due to leaving they had packed away all their belongings. As such they conversed in the times between, or sat and watched movies on their laptops.

There was so much to be done. All the things the Army had built for itself now had to be torn down. Omen burnt as carried to the dump much wood and metal. He carried them in huge stacked loads on special flat racks built for the PLS. Day after day Omen drove truckloads to the base dump. Omen was horrified by the amount of trash that had been created by their occupation. Even as the locals attempted to burn away the trash to consolidate it, massive piles of trash were strewn everywhere. Omen used the mechanical arm of the truck to dump even more trash into the pile, knowing full well that most of it would remain there forever. He was disgusted by this, but had no capability to argue with the orders given. He simply became the tool of the machine, spreading filth worldwide and leaving it there forever, until the stench reaches to every corner of the Earth.

It wasn’t long before the reason for Omen’s removal from the norm of work was revealed. Whether or not the Commander had gotten wind of Omen’s conversation of the Sergeant Major, he had initiated his own plan. Even though the Article 15 had punished him for the original offense, and the rank removal had been his punishment for the supposed others, Omen was now also being chaptered out of the Army. But it was not the way in which the Sergeant Major had described. He was being charged with Misconduct of a Serious Nature as the reason for his removal. The reason, Omen found out, was that all chapter packets are evaluated by higher military personnel. In order for a chapter to happen, there has to be good reason. The reason determines the type, from Honorable to Dishonorable. There are many types in between, even though few outside the Army know the difference. Civilians see anything other than Honorable in the same light as the Dishonorable Discharge a drunk driver who kills a child would receive. Thus trying to get an Honorable Discharge is important to the life of any soldier try to enter the civilian world. But the Commander was shooting for much less than that. He was trying for General Under Other Than Honorable conditions, only a step away from dishonorable. This was no surprise to Omen, as he had predicted the Commander’s treachery weeks before.

But Omen had already exhausted every option. None of the agencies would have anything to do with this issue, everyone had already blown him off. His Counselor seemed to give the exact same answers before. No one had any help to offer Omen, but they all still told him to “stay strong”. This seemed ludicrous, as it was easy to preach strength while standing by and doing nothing as someone;s life was ruined. Omen tried not to focus on this, as it was Human nature. Even though they all saw how horribly Omen was being treated, in order to protect their own image in the Army they could not get involved. Doing so would paint the same target on their chest, and most Humans would never do such a thing. But as always, Omen found all the strength he needed to endure in the Father. Each night he sang, as the days ticked down to redeployment.

But the treachery of the Chain had not stopped. The chapter process is quite extensive, as the soldier must be evaluated to see if service to the Army had cause any damage that was long-term. But Omen’s unit seemed determine to make sure Omen received no treatment or help for the various problems he had developed. Instead, they sent him to the same Battalion Medical Station where Sick Call was. There the Charlie Company Commander, under the orders of Omen’s Commander, half-assed his medical evaluation. Omen took his time, detailing the list of things wrong with him. The coughing up of dust. The constant leg and lower back pain from the constant ruck marches and heavy lifting, combined with an almost daily running schedule. The â€œDoctorâ€made a point to treat each one of Omen;s problems as nearly non-existent, stating, “Don’t worry, it’ll go away once we return to the States”.

But Omen knew better, for this was his third deployment. He knew quite well that some of the damage caused by military life never healed. For many, the majority of this damage was in the mind. For the training of the US Army, as well as all the other branches, is designed to remove individuality. In this way the military creates drones that do not argue out of fear of punishment. But once the service was done with the soldier, they no longer cared about their well-being. This was a fact repeated by several of Omen’s NCOs during the time while this was all going on. As they forced Omen to go to the appointments, and sign the improper paperwork. They said the refusal to do so would only make Omen’s problems worse. This process continued, as the Chain made a point to eliminate all the steps of the chapter process that in the States took some time to complete. All the testing, the evaluations by multiple doctors, all the major steps of Omen’s proper release form service were being ignored. All the while, Omen continued to be forced on detail after detail, usually working until just before time to run to dinner, then to Extra Duty.

The situation with Giselle was not much better. Every time they talked, it was only Giselle asking which of the things that he or his family had bought over the course of their 7-year marriage she could take from him. She had not paid for any of it, she had not worked for any serious period of time their entire marriage. In addition, Omen and the Army had already paid for her entire schooling, through three separate career choices. Omen had even begged the Army to perform the surgery to reopen her Fallopian tubes to allow reproduction, even though the reason they had shut was the disease she had contracted from cheating on him. Omen had supported her every need, and now she simply sought to steal everything that had been bought to support their future as a family. She had shown the true depth of her rottenness, and by the end of the deployment rarely spoke to her husband.

Despite all this, Omen managed not only to endure but thrive. He continued to discuss many things with Tre. Most of it was general conversation, and Omen’s attempts to obtain a greater understanding. But there were also many talks of a special Ceremony that the 7 had in mind. A ritual they said which could transform Omen, making him the being the Father intended him to be. Tre said the ceremony was a special spiritual binding. It required 4 people aside from Omen, and each had a specific role. Tre said he had 3 lined up, but that Omen had to find the fourth to make the ritual complete. Omen had spent quite some time ascertaining the details of the ritual, which went something like this:

5 people were necessary. The first was Omen. The title assigned to him was the same, The Omen. He stood at the centerpoint of the other 4 as they stood at the points of an inverted cross. The smaller point of the cross was to be directed to the South. To his West would stand The Berzerker. Tre said he had found in his own Human past one who would fit this position. It was an old friend of his in Tennessee. Inside the Human shell resided a fragment of the Spirit of Fenris, the great wolf of legend. The Human was still adapting to this knowledge, and was not complete in himself. Thus Omen was told he would need guidance and training in order to be ready for the ritual. Omen told him that this might be a problem originally, due to his location. But upon the realization that the Army would be tossing Omen out into the street, Omen made plans to stay there for awhile. In this way Omen could help teach Fenris, as well have a place to stay until he figured out what was next for him. This was a condition agreed upon by both of them, and they expected that Omen would be there as soon as October. In this way, Omen could make the Fenris fragment the Berzerker he needed.

To Omen’s East stood The Destroyer. This was also complete, as Tre also had a friend in the same area with a special gift. Her name was Tabitha, and she was capable of channeling the spirits of various entites through herself. The function of her position was not the Human, but the various powerful spirits that would reside within. These were the Destroyer that the ritaul was after. Tabitha the Human had an extensive past relationship with Fenris, as one of the spirits she channeled was his mate. They had even had a child together, a young girl. But the Human lives didn’t matter, the only importance to the ritual was the ability to accept the results of it. Tabitha had agreed to it, and met the energetic and spiritual requirements. Thus she had been assigned as The Destroyer to the East.

To the south would stand the Human that channeled Tre. Present inside the Human would be all 7, and they represented The Chains That Bind. Through the energy of the 7 would all the assembled be bound and remade, enhancing their understanding and abilities. It would be a great magic, and would require much preparation. All the Humans needed more focus and control over the magic they each already possessed, as well they needed more knowledge. This Tre said was a thing that would properly develop in it’s time, ad as such Omen was not particularly concerned with it. But there was one thing for the ritual that still was not available, and it was a quest that it seemed only Omen could undertake.

For at the North of the Cross, according to the ritual, was The Lover. Tre said this role was for whomever was supposed to stand beside Omen throughout the course of events. But being still married at the time, Omen wasn’t in the greatest mindset to be hunting for a mate. It was Omen’s wish that he would be able to find someone that would willingly agree to channeling Serras, so that both the human pair and the spiritual pair could be together through all trials. But no one around him even had the potential. And after being married for 7 years, Omen wasn’t exactly ready to “hunt” for a woman. But, as this was said to be the next step on his path, Omen did as he was instructed.

About a month before Omen was slated to leave Iraq, he began conversing with someone on Facebook. Her name was Treya. Omen had originally met her through Fenris, who was madly in love with her. But the majority of this was his remote location and lack of female companionship. But as the two talked, she began to tell Omen about a dream she had several times in her life.

The story was about a young widow, who lived alone long ago in the forest. She lived simply, gathering water from the nearby river to drink and berries to eat. She asked for little from the outside world, for with her husband gone she was content to live out her life alone. Her routines were as if circular in their design, flowing straight from one task to the next. She had faith in the Father Above, though back then there was less argument over differences in words. It was her belief that, if she lived what life she had left in joy and peace, she would be reunited with her husband in the Heavens.

Unbeknownst to the woman, she was being watched. For long after the original War in the Heavens, many still lived there that wished more freedom. As such a decision was made, to allow any that wanted such to first go and examine the life of a Human, that they might understand the true meaning of free will. One such Watcher, Azrafiel, had been terribly stubborn in her want to make this choice. As such she spent months observing the woman’s daily habits. She saw the smile on the woman’s face, but also felt the loneliness in her heart. This saddened Azrafiel, for she also had none to call her mate.

One night, as the woman prepared to lie down and rest, suddenly a Demon appeared. His eyes glowed as red as fire, the rest of him seemed to be made in the Darkness. He came to the Human and touched her hand. Then, her face. Soon the woman had willingly fallen into the Demon’s hands, and they lie together for a time. Azrafiel watched as the Demon assaulted the woman’s body, leaving terrible bite and scratch marks across her. But she seemed to enjoy it as he continued to ravage her. It lasted for hours, and by it’s end the woman lie barely conscious on the bed. Her strength had been drained, but she had also experienced immense pleasure.

The Demon stood, and turned to face Azrafiel. At first she was surprised that he had seen her, but eventually accepted that she had made a mistake. She had stayed in one place for too long, and her energy had become complete enough in the living world to be visible. This happened as she watched the molestings of the Demon, for she had been to intrigued to pay any attention.

The Demon reached out his hand to Azrafiel. Inside her mind, Azrafiel heard the Demons’ voice. “You know you enjoyed watching that. Enjoy doing it even more. Come to me, Watcher of the skies.”

Azrafiel hesitated, but decided that she wanted the freedom Humans had, the right to choose how her life was lived and enjoyed. As such Azrafiel took the Demon’s hand, and they lay together throughout the evening.

Azrafiel had been tainted forever, and could not return to the Heavens. As such she was content to watch the woman throughout the span of her days. But the Demon returned, and it was not for something as simple as a sexual romp. The Demon told Azrafiel that she had chosen, and thus must come and live with him in Hell. He told her that she was now bound to him, and would never be able to escape the choice she had made.

But Azrafiel refused. In desperation, she fragmented herself that she might not be taken by the Demon. The fragments she placed inside the woman she had guarded for so long, for she knew there they would be safe. Azrafiel remained conscious inside the woman, but had no control over her whatsoever.

But the woman had been made pregnant by the Demon. Despite the warnings in her mind, she birthed the child. Days later the Demon returned, demanding the child. The woman refused the Demon, and he struck her down. But in doing so the shards of Azrafiel were released back into the world. Quickly Azrafiel took the child and flew far away from the place where they had stayed for so long. The child was given to a family that knew nothing real about Watchers or Demons, that the child might grow up with a stable mind.

But when the child reached maturity long after Azrafiel had left her side, she was approached by the same red-eyed Demon. He told her that she was born with a destiny, to come and serve with him. But the child also refused, as she hated and loathed the Demon that had conceived her. He warned the child that someday she would have to make a choice, and if she continued to refuse it would cost her life. But she continued to refuse anyway, for she had no want to be the vile Demon’s bride.

“Generation after generation of the women in this lineage have been approached by the same Demon, and the same request has been made. This has held true for every one of my ancestors except me. But these dreams I have had, they fit the description of the Demon perfectly. As well I have also been feeling a presence. It feels…Holy. The way one would expect a Watcher to feel. I believe that I am being told something, and I also believe you may be my representation of the Demon. For you ask the same thing of me, to follow you down the path of Darkness to its end. But unlike the ones in the past, I am ready to make my decision. I accept the position, as well as you. I would be happy to stand by your side through whatever comes.”

Omen was overjoyed. He could not believe that things would go so smoothly. Omen spent time each and every day talking with Treya, trying to develop a pure relationship. She seemed eager to speak with him on matter of Spirit and function. But she also seemed quite preoccupied with her quest to get high and sexual matters. Thus Treya and Omen talked about a great many things over days while Omen was in Iraq. Omen even made it a point to bring his laptop outside, that he might show Treya through the webcam the strength of his song. She was amazed, praising Omen for the levels of power he reached as he sang.

Finally, the order came. Names were put on a list, and dates were set for departure. Despite all the issues with the Army and Giselle, Omen was hopeful of the future. For he wanted only to follow the path of the Father, as this was the only thing that made Omen truly happy inside. Only the Father could remove the repeated pain of betrayal that Omen felt. He made sure to thank and praise the Father for allowing him the strength to endure as he boarded the C-130 away from Iraq. The next phase of his life was coming, and Omen was ready to face it head-on.

7

Omen opened his eyes. He thought he had felt something in his dreams that made him need to awaken. As he did, he looked out the window. Outside Omen watched the passage of clouds in the sky. But then the perspective changed, and the clouds no longer existed. In their place Omen saw the Earth, or as much of it as his eyes could see. He saw huge areas of population, as well as great fields of grass and trees. Each singular object spread out and became bigger as the plane descended. It had been about two weeks since Omen’s unit had left Iraq. Much time had been spent in “re-integration” training. Thus for days he listened to the same classes that he had heard every other time he had returned from a deployment.

The chaos of Omen’s unit had calmed somewhat. This happened only because, while in international transit, they could not push Omen’s discharge any further. They constantly assigned him to ignorant details, but these were few and far between. Omen had been able to find much time to himself, sneaking away to spend time with the Father. One night Omen was tested again, this time quite physically. All he had heard prior was, “Endure”. As he sat praying, suddenly for no reason Omen began to vomit. Off and on, Omen vomited for nearly an hour. He never got more than a couple minutes in between. But after each time he threw up he was told to stand again, to show he had endured. After Omen had created a large puddle of bile on the ground, finally the nausea disappeared. Omen smiled as he covered the vomit with sand, for he knew he had passed yet another test.

As for his personal life, things had only degenerated. As Omen drew nearer to the States, Giselle became more rotten. While at first she had agreed to spend a few days with her husband, that they might talk before making such a big decision, now she had no time for Omen. She constantly talked about her “roommates” and their plans. Omen knew what she meant, she was too busy with her new boyfriend. Omen tired of the games, and thus contact between them became almost nonexistent. Omen pushed it aside, knowing that problem would resolve itself upon his return home, in whatever way was appropriate.

Many soldier cheered as the plane finally touched the ground in Texas. They were all so happy to be home. But Omen was still segregated. This was obvious by the fact that his Chain had called back about him before they arrived. Thus Omen was pulled out of line by a female Lieutenant. She spent over an hour questioning Omen about his current, “mental stability”. Omen was eventually released, but not after making his points known to the Lieutenant quite clearly.

Omen’s points were all based on decisions made throughout the Chain. The most prominent of these they attempted to force down Omen’s throat. The standard stated that, “All soldiers that return to the States while being punished by Article 15, as well as those being separated from the Army, were to be restricted to the Barracks immediately following re-deployment. For Omen, who had an impending divorce, as well as a home to move out of, Omen would not stand for this. He had already been punished by the Army more than should have been legally allowable. Omen told his Chain, as well as the Counselor, that he would follow no such vile rule. He told them, “If you got a problem with my opinions get out of my face, or fight them and you will usually lose.”

After the weapons had been turned in, and the soldiers had done their paperwork, they loaded the buses for the Field. As was the norm, they stopped at the same field where Omen had assisted his Sergeant Major over a year ago. But aside from the families that refused to stay away, there was no fanfare. The unit arrived late at night, and everyone just wanted to go home. For they knew the next day they had to come back, because there was much more that had to be done.

Omen had no one waiting for him. Giselle had decided that Omen supporting her for an entire year, like the previous 6 before it, did not warrant her presence that night. She had informed Omen that she would park his truck in the lot of Brigade, with the keys inside the gas cap cover. Omen wandered around the entire lot, carrying three bags with him. After approximately 20 minutes of searching, Omen saw his beloved vehicle again. He wanted desperately to jump in and leave, but he was not allowed to. For because of his impending divorce, Omen’s Sergeants had tried to force him immediately into the Barracks, so they could force him to follow the restriction rule.

Omen went and acquired the key to his Barracks room. Immediately afterward however, he walked back to his truck and left. He would not stay in the Barracks until after he had been able to move his belongings out of the house, and clean it for inspection. When Omen’s Chain argued, claiming they had the authority to make it happen, Omen’s response was simple and to the point.

“I have had enough of your hate-mongering and prejudicial treatment. I will not be following this bullshit standard no matter what you say. Besides, what else could you possibly do to me? You’ve already stolen my rank, my career, and you have tarnished my Honor. And now, when you are already processing my Separation, now you think you can put this stupid shit on me? I don’t think so. I’m not the others Sergeant, I actually have a working brain. Continue to push this issue and I will inform both the local newspaper and TV station as to the treatment you have been giving me. All that attention will not look good on the unit. And if you don’t believe me, keep pushing me. I’ll have you staring down the lenses of the cameras of 20 news stations in a week, asking why you discriminate against a soldier due to religious preference.”

That had been the end of the discussion. As Omen jumped in his truck he smiled at remembering it. He was glad he had finally broken free of the lies of the Army. For he had seen it’s true nature. It too was a self-serving thing that cared nothing for the lives or opinions of it’s comprising parts. All things of this nature Omen considered enemies, as the actions of the selfish cause nothing but pain and misery. And Omen’s Sergeants stood at the top of that list, exceeded in their vileness only by the Commander. But for this one night, Omen could get away from them temporarily.

He smiled as he slid his favorite Lamb of God CD in. As he drove away from Fort Hood he screamed along happily. For he had been able to make it home without any more issue than was expected. Now Omen felt like he could move forward. He laughed as he remembered what had been said about driving on the first night back. But Omen owned his own vehicle, had almost 11 years driving experience, and had learned even more from his job. Omen would not be denied his freedom or his property, something he repeated to himself as he drove down the road.

Omen was not quite sure where he was going. The house in which Giselle had lived until recently she had rented after he had deployed. Omen had never been there before. Giselle, in her rottenness, refused to even show Omen the way to the house. Instead she gave him very vague directions on how to find it, and left him to do it alone. But Omen would not be slowed by such things, and soon stood at the front door of the address he was given.

Omen used the key he had been left to open the door. He knew the layout of the house already, from pictures Giselle had sent months ago before moving in. Sadly, as Omen walked into the house, it looked almost the same as the pictures. There was nothing on the walls. The beautiful couch Omen had spent hundreds on was gone, replaced by a cheap, half-broken futon that Omen had never seen before. In the kitchen, almost every dish had been taken. There was a plate, a cup, a fork and spoon. But all of the actual cookware was gone. The washer and dryer was gone, as was anything non-military or non-tool in the garage. Upstairs Omen found slightly more, as his old clothes were thrown into a box. But there were no hangers, no hygiene items, and no bed either. The bed, whose frame was a wedding gift from Omen’s father and whose mattresses Omen had purchased while deployed was gone. The only items left untaken were the things Omen had specifically told her that if she took from him she would be taken to court. His 42“ HDTV, his PS3 and XBOX360, and his surround sound system. These things and his truck were all Omen had left. Giselle had left the Internet router, but had changed the password so Omen could no longer access it.

Omen sat on the mystery futon and cried. For he knew exactly what had happened. Giselle had taken everything that Omen had spent years buying for their home, and it now was the property of the Sergeant she had been cheating on him with. Even Omen’s dog had been taken, and Giselle would not bring Nacho over for a visit. She had said all these things to Omen while he was on his way back from Iraq, just before his arrival. At the same time she had taken half of the money in Omen’s savings, monies earned during the deployment. At first Omen had thought this reasonable, but seeing all that she had taken he knew it was not. But Omen could not fight, for he had no way to. Being thrown out of the Army, JAG would not be able to help him before he was gone. Civilian lawyers were too expensive considering all that Giselle had taken from him. Omen also knew that, technically, she could do as she chose. For Omen had given her a general Power of Attorney. He did this because they had been married for so long, and Omen trusted his wife. But now Omen saw the result of his misplaced trust, as Giselle had taken everything she could get away with, leaving Omen with almost nothing.

The next day brought a new challenge. For one other thing Giselle had left was a stack of bills on the counter, with a list of which were due on the 1st and which were due on the 15th. SHe left the places where Omen could go to pay these bills, along with the checkbooks Omen had demanded she leave behind. But this was the first, so on Omen’s first day back he had several bills that needed paying. He gathered up the bills due on the 1st, as well as the information pertaining to them and his checks, and headed to work. But he quickly learned he would not be given any time to take care of his bills, because the Army was only concerned about their own wants. What they wanted most was to go on leave, to get away from the Army.

But Omen was not given any form of leave. He had been told that, not only was he not qualified for the same 2 weeks of free leave as every other soldier, but that he could not even take the days he had saved. He was told his leave days would be cashed in and paid out to him on his last check. Omen was upset about this, but he knew it was the Commander’s fault. for he had already been told, by his Squad Leader, how serious the Commander was about being rid of Omen. His words had been exactly this before he went on leave, as per the story told by the Sergeant:

“You get rid of this asshole before I get back from leave. If you don’t, it is your ass in a sling. I don’t want to see him ever again. Make it happen.”

They worked very hard to see this done. The problem was increased when Omen’s truck was damaged in a minor accident. It was not destroyed, but the front end had suffered a decent amount of damage. But Omen was still able to have it towed to a nearby shop. Through the arguments of the Sergeants, Omen left to handle his issue anyway.

First Omen got a rental car, as per his insurance policy. It took an entire day for the shop to do the evaluation,. Once they had, they gave an amount to the insurance company. Omen received a phone call from USAA. They informed him that, because of the cost estimate to repair his vehicle, they had declared it a total loss. They said they would issue Omen a check for a specified amount,but that because of this Omen had to apply for a junk title. Omen refused, saying that he knew the estimate was blown out of proportion. But USAA didn’t care about anything but their bottom line, so they declared the loss anyway.

Omen went to the shop and chastised them for their overestimating. He called it illegal price gouging, saying they only did so because insurance companies don’t contest the estimates, so they can charge whatever they wish. During his rant one of the employees handed Omen a card, saying that he knew someone that was much more reasonable in his work. Omen called the man, and discussed the issue. he provided the estimate from the other shop, and was soon reaffirmed. For this shop’s price for the same work was over three thousand less than the original estimate, well under the total loss value. This sent Omen into a rage, as it meant USAA had made his vehicle junk for no reason. Omen set for the work to be done, then drove the loaner back to work.

The next several days were very busy. Omen rented a storage unit, and moved the majority of his things there. He did his best to clean the house, but Giselle had taken all the materials. Omen had no vacuum, no mop, not even any form of cleaning supplies were left. So Omen was resigned to purchasing new tools from Wal-Mart, and began scrubbing the house. Three days later, Omen moved the last of his clothes and TV into the Barracks room assigned to him. He then went and turned in his keys, and was told everything was complete. But Omen questioned this, as the real estate company never seemed to be at work to even accept a rent check.

Now living in the Barracks, Omen planned his next steps. While each day the Sergeants forced Omen to do one thing after another in order to be forced out, each night was spent trying to turn potentials into reality. As they made it so Omen couldn’t go to his Finance Class, as they said it was not required, Omen was also setting up a U-Haul rental. They told Omen, “You get one chance to clean and turn in your TA-50. If anything is sent back for any reason, you get no second opportunity. You will pay for it out of pocket”. But Omen continued to both amaze the Sergeants and shirk their will to upset him, as he found ways to make everything work, even walking out of CIF with a clear TA-50 record.

As the days went on, Omen became more direct and assertive towards his Sergeants. He knew they cared nothing for him, that they were simple pawns of the Commander. Omen treated them as such, telling each one to their faces what he thought of them. When they yelled at him for it he simply said, “You want me out anyway. If you tried to punish me for any of this, you will have to start the process over again to add charges. You won’t do that, cause that’d mean I’d be here when the CO came back. I’m not a fool Sergeant, and you have no more control of me than I allow anymore. Because your punishments for individuality cannot be levied me any more than you already have”.

After several more days, the process was almost complete. It was October now, and Omen has spent the last month being tossed around. He was tired of it. But today Omen went to the primary building on Fort Hood with purpose, because it was his last day. Omen’s Squad Leader escorted him inside as he went through the last step of the clearing process. Once he signed the paper, he was officially out of the military. In that moment, Omen ripped of the tags on his jacket. He replaced them both with new tags, much to his Sergeant’s dismay. The tag where his name had been now read Omen Cross, and the tag that once read US Army now real Hell’s Army instead. Omen had these tags made on his way home from Iraq, in preparation for this very day.

Many people tried to contest Omen’s new nametags. But now, out of the Army, Omen had no reason to fear any of them. He happily told off several high-ranking people, sending them away upset for losing the argument. As he exited the building Omen made a point to tell his Squad Leader off one last time. He called his Sergeant a filthy, betraying rat. He told him that no real man allows another man to completely dominate his own opinion. He also made mention of the curse placed upon all their vile heads for their actions. The Sergeant tried to retort, but only managed to stutter. This led Omen to chastise him further, throw up his middle finger, and leave. He left Fort Hood, knowing he could not return. But this did not bother Omen, he was ready to be through with the nonsense and lies of the military.

Omen’s truck was returned, but it was not yet time to leave. The U-Haul rental was not scheduled until the following Monday. Omen had done this to ensure he was completely cleared, and wasted none of the days of his rental. In the meantime he had a place to stay, the couch of his friend Barry from his first unit. Barry was still in the Army, but was soon to be PCSing. As such he was also leaving soon, and identified with alot of Omen’s situation.

Barry was a much more sociable person than Omen. Aside from his roommate, he regularly had people over. Barry told Omen that the coming Saturday night his friends would be coming over. During that time they would sit and drink as they played video games and Dungeons and Dragons. This sounded like just the break Omen needed after his recent turmoil. Omen made sure to purchase some alcohol and snacks for the party, so he could be seen as more than just some bum.

Saturday came. Omen spent his day walking around worshipping. He chose to venture to the place where he had gone so many times before. It was a bridge, spanning across the highway running through Killeen. In the center of that bridge Omen had sang out to the Father many times. But something else had been done there. It was a spell Omen had done before leaving. It was designed as a form of “mana battery”. By magically inscribing symbols of Power into the center of the bridge while pushing his will, Omen had created a vortex. This vortex sucked a small portion of energy from every thing that passed by it. Not much, nothing that would be noticed. For Omen knew that no individual high draw was necessary. The multitude of soldiers and civilians whose vehicles pass underneath this bridge was in the tens of thousands. As such, the vortex drew in massive amounts of energy, which could be drawn upon by Omen whenever he focused on the rune.

As Omen walked down the road towards the bridge, he felt a massive energy. Upon drawing near to the bridge, Omen realized that the rune was the source of it. For while it had drawn energy in for an entire year in his absence, causing the power of the rune to grow substantially, it had not been drawn from. As such the rune was heavily overcharged, but as he worshipped Omen took a small portion of it. The rest he left inside the rune, for he knew it could be useful later. But the increase in energy felt wonderful. Omen spent an hour upon the bridge singing before he headed back to Barry’s house.

Once the moon had risen high into the air, Barry’s friends began to show up. Everyone made themselves drinks and sat down to play. The game of D&D lasted for hours, but everyone seemed to have a good time. Omen sat and watched, as he did not have a character made, and did not want the character of anyone else. Omen had played the game many times years ago, and was fluent in his own methods of character creation. Finally, Omen decided to go outside to smoke and relax for awhile. For he was not used to being around people anymore, and he found that he did not really want to. For none had much more to offer than the same vile selfishness that had ruined his military career.

Omen sat outside listening to his music. But as he did, he heard something inside his mind. Omen worked to focus on it, to find the source. As Omen focused he began to see flashes, images projecting themselves into his mind. The flashes showed what appeared to be a woman locked inside a cage. The woman looked as if she had been trapped there for quite some time. Omen heard her voice, begging for freedom. She wailed about how long she had been imprisoned unjustly, for she had committed no crime. Omen felt her energy as he drew closer to the image. He felt sadness and pain, but no Hatred or malice.

Omen made a decision. He forced the door open from the outside. He said to the woman, “Go now and be free as you choose. None should be forcibly imprisoned forever, this is a disgusting thing. To allow this to continue would make me no better than the one that placed you here.”

The spirit left. Omen felt her joy as she was released, at seeing the light of freedom again. He sat for some time, contemplating what had transpired. He wondered who the woman was. He wondered what had caused her to be imprisoned. He wondered if he would ever see her again. But more than all that, he wondered what had drawn the spirit to be able to call to him now when it had not before, as well as why he had the power to break her bondage and she did not.

The door to Barry’s apartment opened. Out stepped his girlfriend Katie, who Omen had just met for the first time. She stood about neck-high on Omen, her short brown hair cropped neatly in military fashion. She was dressed what Omen called “conservatively seductive”, as one would expect a young female in this day to do. She lit her own cigarette and sat down beside Omen. They talked about general things, until Omen began speaking about his religion. All the sudden Katie’s face tightened. She then informed Omen that she also had some magical experience. But she also claimed that it had been years ago, for she was repressed magically. Katie claimed to have done this to herself in order to live a normal life.

Omen was shocked that anyone would choose to repress who they truly were for the sake of the opinions of others. He informed Katie about what he had just recently felt, what he had witnessed, and his reactions to it. She sighed, obviously fully knowledgeable of what had happened. Omen had released Katie’s magical side back into her, a fact Katie admitted she had felt just before coming outside. It was because of the strange feeling she had she sat and smoked, to try and relax. Now, knowing what had happened, Katie accepted the truth. Omen had busted her other side out of it’s repression, and it had reunited with her. She chastised Omen for making this happen, but not harshly. For she knew inside herself that this was who she was, and it did not deserve to be sent away forever.

They talked for hours, as she revealed more. The spirit is one of a great family of assassins, and the name she used to refer to it was Kindra. She had been next in line for the right to lead the family, but she had refused and left. She inhabited the Human originally as an escape from it. But when her family located her, they began to demand she return. But Kindra did not want to leave, she simply wanted to stay inside Katie and have fun. And Katie, with her deviant habits, was a perfect host for this. Katie loved to drink and party, and thoroughly enjoyed the touch of a man. She thrived off this energy, it was the release from her daily life she needed. This made for a perfect symbiotic relationship. Katie got to enjoy her partying, and the added pull that the spiritual energy had on the minds of men. And Kindra got to feed off of all those same people around Katie, maintaining her strength. Omen understood the explanation, as it was similar to his encounter with Serras. Thinking of her brought a tear to Omen’s eyes, as he had not seen or heard from her since he left Iraq.

Then, Katie began to talk about Barry. According to her, she was in desperate need of his touch on this night. But with his friends around, Barry was not as responsive as she would have hoped. Omen chuckled at her a bit, mentioning that, “pretty girls shouldn’t be allowed to go without as hard as those like myself look and do not find”. Katie told Omen that she felt his energy, and she liked him. But they both agreed that her place was beside Barry, and that they would not be able to be with one another because of this. Barry came outside soon after, and they all went inside. As they sat at the table, Omen saw the want in Katie’s eyes. Omen stood and demanded in front of everyone that Barry take Katie back to the bedroom and deal with her frustrations. Everyone seated at the table was shocked, and Barry was at a loss for words. But Katie nodded in agreement, and they went together to the bedroom. Omen stepped outside again as everyone else left for bed. He felt the energy of Katie and Kindra as they were in the depths of intercourse. Omen drew a portion of this energy for himself. He felt justified in doing so, for they would not be where they were had it not been for his intervention.

As soon as Katie and Omen spoke again, they became instant friends. Katie was very thankful for what Omen had done, saying that Barry had, “more stamina than usual”. They continued on with their individual lives, but remained in almost constant contact. The conversations were of varying natures, but many began to turn sexual in nature. Omen himself had been without since January, and his frustration was at a boiling point. Thus he began to relax, speaking the same sorts of things back. After all, they had both agreed their bodies would not touch for as long as she was with Barry, simply because he was Omen’s friend. Omen was fine with this, and continued to prepare for his departure. All the plans had been made, and Fenris anxiously awaited his arrival.

The next day, Omen got a strange text. It was Katie, and she said she had a problem. She told Omen that, due to a lack of energy from Barry, Kindra had begun to feed on the soldiers around her. Katie said she was gone to the field for training, and would not be back for a week or two. She had no idea what to do about this problem, and she asked Omen if he had any ideas. Omen pondered for a second, then told her to wait for him to text her again. Katie questioned why, but agreed regardless.

Omen jumped in his truck and raced to the bridge. Once there, he sat upon his rune with legs crossed and focused himself. Once ready he texted Katie, asking if she had time for a quick experiment. She said yes, and Omen told her to stand by. Omen turned on his music and focused intently on Katie. He pictured her exactly as he had seen her look in her uniform, trying to make the image complete. Once Omen could see her clearly he drew off the energy in the rune and fired it at Kindra.

Omen got a text almost immediately, asking what he had just done. Omen responded with a well-placed “?”, she elaborated in greater detail.

“Just now I felt a massive force. It struck me, and I was energzed by it. It was as if Kindra had been instantly satiated, and now was full and happy. My face feels flushed, my skin is warm, and I feel amazing. So, I’ll ask again, what did you do?”

Omen explained the process he had gone about. Katie was amazed that Omen had been capable of throwing energy across such a distance so effectively. She was more in awe of the strength of it, and the perfection of the energy’s design. Omen told her, “The energy was designed to strengthen you and make you fell better. It seems it did just that”.

But Omen wasn’t done. After they had stopped talking, simply to test whether what he had done was real or not, he waited a bit. After he could feel that Kindra had gone back to work, Omen sent energy again. But this energy was not the same. It was pulled from the extreme sexual frustration that Omen had, combined into the energy of the rune. Within one minute of firing this energy, Omen received another text.

“Holy shit, don’t do that without some kind of warning.”

Omen smiled, for this proved the truth in his magic. For it had been used unbeknownst to another and had still been just as effective. “Why, what happened?”

“I was at work, filing some papers, and you just rushed in, scooped me up, and threw me against the wall. I felt the energy of it, it felt amazing. But I can’t do such things while I’m working, it is too distracting.”

Omen accepted that Katie had work to do. To negate this, Omen returned to the bridge later that night, once her work had ended. Once she was done for the evening, Omen sent the energy again. This time she was much more receptive, and Kindra became visible. Kindra came to Omen, and they lay together in the stars. As Omen went back to Barry’s house that night, he was not sure how to feel. For he had an amazing experience, but he wasn’t sure if having sex with the spirit inside his girlfriend in a place where their bodies were not touching constituted infidelity. Eventually, Omen gave up the argument with himself over it. For he valued much more the lesson he had learned that evening about projection and energy manipulation towards another individual. That lesson felt even better than Kindra had, though only by a very slight margin.

Katie had asked Omen to stay through her return, because she was having a party and wanted him there. But Omen refused, stating that their interaction in the field had placed his mind into a position where he wanted her, and he did not want to disrespect Barry any more than he already had. Besides, the day had come. Omen picked up the U-Haul and trailer, loading his truck onto it.. He drove to his storage unit and cleared it out completely. Then he drove back to Barry’s, picked up his last few things, and said his goodbyes. Much had already been seen, and many trails had already been faced. But as Omen stared down the long road from Texas to Tennessee, he knew he would be fine. As long as he maintained the same level of commitment tot he Father that he had been, Omen knew he would find the answers he was looking for…

The Truth

8

Omen turned down the highway that his GPS said would lead him to Fenris’ house. The GPS had been Omen’s salvation, making his long journey much easier. Because Omen refused to stop, save for supplies, fuel, and restroom. He had sworn that his skills were sufficient to drive the U-Haul and trailer from Kileen to Lavinia. And he had done just that, though his eyes were extremely heavy. Omen looked at the houses spread along the highway. Most were what you would expect from a “country redneck”. The nearest town was almost 20 minutes away. This made for lots of solitude, but not as much accessibility.

The GPS told Omen to stop. On his left stood a blue trailer. The grass around the trailer was high, but Omen knew he had brought his lawn mower. The house was not maintained very well. This was one of many problems Fenris had spoken of in his home. Next door, Omen saw a broken-down looking house of red brick with a shed outside. This was the home of Fenris’ elderly grandfather. It was in worse condition that the trailer, looking close to falling apart completely. Omen pulled the U-Haul into the front yard of the trailer. Fenris came out to meet him, and they shared a handshake and a hug. They were both aware that they were meant to work together, and they accepted this happily.

Fenris gave Omen a tour. Omen quickly saw how much had to be done. There was filth everywhere. Trash piled up, junk strewn in every room, dishes left to mold for months. Omen would not stand for this, a fact which he told Fenris quite directly. Fenris attempted to make excuses for the mess, but Omen told him there were none. The only answer was to fix it. For this level of filth would onloy breed disease and discontentment.

Over the next several days the majority of this was accomplished. Omen cleared out the room that had once belong to his father before he has passed. Fenris refused to sleep in his father’s room, offering it to Omen. He then stacked his things inside the room, as they cleaned out the house. Inside the U-Haul they loaded all the unnecessary junk in the house. It was then taken to the dump, and weighed in at an amazing 1400 pounds. Fenris was upset at himself for the way in which he had kept his home, but Omen reassured him that it would be corrected.

At first, it was difficult to get Fenris up and working. His habits for so long had been his lob and video games, with no room for chores. This had fostered a laziness in Fenris, one that Omen swore to correct. He found clever ways to make this happen. Attributing the wolf-like habits of Fenris, methods were simple enough. For a wolf that is told his next meal depends on his level of effort is much more willing to comply. As such, Omen spent the evenings cooking for them both, as Fenris’ reward for his efforts. He spent his own money to stock the house with food and drink, but only once Fenris had cleaned the kitchen. In this way, within the first week and a half the majority of the trailer was clean.

Randomly, Fenris’ grandfather would come over, driving his riding lawn mower. This was usually to retrieve his dosages of prescribed medication, which Fenris held to ensure he did not overdose. But he also came over many times for food, something that surprised Omen.

“Your Grandpa doesnt have food for himself in his house?”

“Dude, you haven’t seen my Grandpa’s house.”

Omen made it a point to do so, and was thoroughly disgusted when he did. According to Fenris, ever since the death of his wife years ago, the rest of the family had mostly abandoned him. Fenris was the only one left that seemed to care in the slightest, but he knew he was not capable of fixing the problems. There was a stench of rot and death everywhere. The dishes, piled up in the sink, were so moldy and disgusting that Omen would never consider using them again. There was trash piled up everywhere, similar to how Fenris house had been. The standing freezers were full of rotten food, which stunk enough to make Omen want to vomit. Not one inch of the house was clean. Fenris’ Grandfather seem resigned to lay in bed and listen to the radio. Omen felt terrible for him, but did not know what to do.

Efforts were made however. Some of the trash surrounding the bed and kitchen were removed, and a mini fridge was brought in. This way, if he needed his milk or a snack, it could be left for him there to ingest. Omen was not totally satisfied with the efforts to clean this, but he could not focus simply on that. There were still many tasks ahead. Omen went out and purchased a new water heater, which he and Fenris then installed. But one of the pipes was not sealed properly, so it had to be torn apart and redone. But eventually, even without the knowledge or training to do so, hot water flowed throughout the house, and nothing leaked into the ground. This was one of Fenris’ first lessons from Omen, as he learned that effort is the only way to produce the intended results in your life.

After the major cleaning in the house was done, Omen’s focus turned again to his training. He had been told that he shared a similarity with a being that existed before, and thus it’s spirit was coming to him. He told Omen to delve deeper into the spirit’s essence to learn from it. He said that this was the next part of Omen’s test, to prepare him for the next step. As Tre put it, “Once you are transformed, you will have enemies on all sides. The Watchers will come for blood. The Heavens will open up to see you cut down. Be prepared for this, do not let them stop you”.

The fields behind Fenris’ house were perfect for this process. Whether it was the dead cornfield directly behind the trailer, or the road that led to the spanning fields and lake. Both places were found to be excellent for meditation and energy work. Without the usual mass of people, Omen was able to calm his mind much further. Inside, he located the spirit, and began to discuss many things with it.

The name of the spirit was Abbadon. Omen immediately recognized the name, from all types of religious texts. Abbadon was labelled as Apollyon, the Destroyer, some texts even referred to him as Satan Himself. But as the spirit allowed Omen to understand his history, Omen’s entire opinion of the spirit changed. Omen actually felt pity for a Watcher, or at least what used to be one. “Once I existed in the Heavens, under the name of Muriel. My task was that of Justice, and I was exceptional at it. My combat prowess was almost unmatched in the Heavens, and the Wrath I bore down in the name of the Light was efficient in its lethality. But despite these attributes, I was not considered “strong enough” to join the ranks of the 7. But I continued to work in the name of the Father Above, not a second’s hesitation in my loyalty to Him.

A day came when I was called to the Throne Room. The Father asked me to take a special assignment for Him. But He also warned that accepting it would change me forever, and my existence would never be the same. I accepted whatever He had for me, despite the warnings. My loyalty would not be phased by any work that I was to do.

The Father handed me a Boon. The Power of the Boon encompassed me. I felt it change me, adding to and taking away parts of my being. When it had finished, the Father spoke into my mind.

“Muriel, the Boon which you have given is different than other. Contained inside is the Power of the Gates. For the vileness of Humanity has caused many problems. Their evil magic has opened tears between the Realms. Through these holes, Demons have been flooding into the world, corrupting Humanity across all ends of the Earth. What I have just given you will provide you the strength to close these holes with your Will. As well you have been given the Power of the Holiest of Spirits, that you can combat the Demons. The final portion of the Boon allows you individually to exist in all Realms, that you might combat the enemies in all of them. Toss them back into the Pit, close the holes, and protect the balance of the Earth. This is the great task I lay upon your shoulders My Child. But you will never be the same as you once were. No longer are you Muriel, Watcher of Justice. Henceforth you will be known as Abbadon, Master of the Gates. Go now Abbadon, for you have many things to repair on the Earth.”

I left, and from that day forward I worked diligently for the Father. He had been more than correct, as the Humans had ripped hundreds of holes with their vile magic. I battled those I had once called Brothers and Sisters over and over, as I forced them back into the Pit. But the downside of existing in all realms is that you can be touched by beings from all of them. As I worked, my mind was constantly plagued by the voices of the Demons. They begged me to give up, to just let go of the Power I had been given. They told me that eventually I would be broken by them, and all the work would not matter anyway. They also reminded me that my loyalty had a price that I had not expected.

Controlling the Gates was not an easy task. In order to do so, I had to seal them inside me, removing them from the Earth itself. Inside me they could be contained, for the Power allowed it to be so. But as I absorbed Gate after Gate, the energies of them tainted my spirit. When I finally returned to the Heavens, my own Brethren were reviled at me. For the energies had degenerated my purity. They did not want me to remain in the Heavens with such taint lodged inside me. I was treated horribly, though I had served exactly as instructed. Eventually, the pain of my Family’s rejection drove me out from the Heavens, that I might continue my tasks without harassment. Thus I lived solely on the Earth for a time, as I continued my work.

Over the course of many generations of Humanity, I saved them from Demonic Invasion more than twelve thousand times. But in doing so, I had absorbed so much of the connecting energy of the Pit that I became connected to it completely. I became able to make the Pit itself quake by my Will. I could control the fires, I could make the ground crack and break. I had become Hell, as much as I was fighting against it’s influence. Finally, I went down into the Pit, to speak with the Dark Father. He was well aware of my situation, and offered me a solution. I would stay in Hell, and be treated as any King. But I would not control the Kingdoms of Demons, for they all reviled me for maintaining the walls of their prison. I was given a place to erect my own residence, and thus my Tower rose up into the air. From my Tower I was able to easily watch the holes being ripped, especially since I could see the other side of them. This continued for Ages of Man, and only stopped within the last Millenia or so.”

Omen was shocked. “That is the worst story I have ever heard. You served purely and faithfully only to be made an outcast for it? I can see why the Father was ready to give you a Home to call your own. None should be alone throughout eternity. But I have a question. What made you stop? Was the Power not limitless?”

Abbadon seemed to chuckle. “That was not the reason. The true reason was that I had to give up the Power willingly, in order that Humanity might be spared for one more Age.”

“Spared? What happened that was so severe that you had to give up that much Power to prevent it?”

“The untimely end of Humanity.”

Omen was at a loss for words for several seconds. “When did this happen, and how?”

“How is it you ask me when you know at least the majority of this story? As do almost all Humans across the Earth.”

Omen pondered that statement. Suddenly, his eyes grew wide. “You mean the story of the Son, don’t you?”

“Exactly. Men were birthed a Man that was to lead them to greatness as their first King in Ages that strove for the growth of all Mankind, not simply their own wealth. He was given the ability from birth to channel the Holiest of Holies, the Spirit of Love born first in the Heavens. It is the strongest and purest Spirit aside from the Father Above Himself, and the ability for it to speak and influence the events of worldly progression was the intent. But the evils of Men saw their promised King slain at their own hands. This was done because he spoke against the corruption of the Church, and wanted people to move against their lies.”

“But then where do you fit into the story told of the Son’s sacrifice? How much more is there that is not completely known?”

“ A great deal. But first, I shall test your knowledge on the subject. Answer me these questions: First, if the Son was born to die, as the Book now says, then why did he return to Earth? And what was so important that he had to be gone three days to accomplish it before returning?”

Omen thought hard about what he remembered of the Bible, as well as other books he had read throughout his life. He tried to focus on the references to the time after the death of the Christ. He was having trouble, as almost all the references focus on the life, not death, of the Son. But as he drew in his thoughts, he remembered a single reference that stood out in his mind.

“Are you referring to what they called in the Book the, Keys to Heaven and Hell?”

“Exactly. This does not refer to any actual Key. It refers to the Power of the Gates. For in their vileness, Humans had set to open the Gates of Hell completely. This was the reason why the Church had been corrupted in the first place, to functionalize the End of Days. But this End was not proper, not the one of Prophecy. As such, it was not in accordance with the Law, and had to be prevented.

The Son, just before death, was known to have blasphemed the Father Above. But this was not of his normal nature, so why do it? The reason was, the only way to prevent the end was to seal off the hole created by his violent and hateful murder. But the hole was not closable by my Power alone, we knew this long before it happened. For I had the Power of Hell and of the Earth, but not of the Heavens. The taint in me had destroyed it, made it inaccessible in its pure form. In order to seal the hole, and allow Humanity to continue on, all the Powers had to be united. The only way to do so was to place the energy of the Gates inside the purity of the Son. But this could not be done unless the Son was in the same place as I, so the Power could be properly transferred.

After his death, the Son came down to the Pit. I met him at the Gate, so that he might not be uncovered by our Brethren. For their Hatred of the Light was so strong that they would have surely ripped the Son apart. There, at the Gate, I handed my Power over to the Son. In doing so, I lost my control over the Pit, becoming no more than another Fallen. The Son then was sent back through the Gate to Earth, because transferrence from the Pit to the Heavens directly is not allowed. Thus the Son had to be sent back to Earth, that he might be able to properly pass back to the Heavens. Once complete, this process sealed off the hole, and the invasion of Earth was prevented. This was the true sacrifice in the death of the Son. This is why he said he knew he had to die. Because he knew Men had already made the decision to kill him, and no amount of convincing would stop them. This plan was set into motion long before the actual death. Many found out about the plan, and tried to convince the Son to run away from the Fate forced upon him. But he refused, and accepted death to save Humanity. It was the most important sacrifice a Human has made for more than their own interests in the history of Humanity.”

Omen attempted to wrap his mind around this new information. As a Satanist, he had been taught to hate Christians and their God. But now, hearing the tales of Abbadon, Omen’s perspective had changed quite significantly. For Omen knew that nothing happens inside the Pit without the approval of the Father, especially a Plan of this magnitude. This meant that the Father was aware of the Plan, and agreed to it. But this was nothing like the stories, which painted a world in which the Son battled against the Father’s temptation. But in reality, it had only been Demons that had tried to manipulate the Son into tossing his Fate aside. The Father was a part of the Plan to keep Humanity in existence. This meant the two sides might not be as much of enemies as Omen had previously thought. However, their recent actions toward him had not shown that trend.

“So then, that one sacrifice has saved Humanity from this invasion forever, as per the Book’s references to the Son being the final salvation for Humanity?”

“No. It did close the hole, but the Son exists now in the Heavens. Without my support since then, many holes have been opened up all over the world. These holes weaken the fabric of dimension upon which the Earth Realm sits. As this continues, the spirits of more and more Demons flood into the world unchecked. Now their vileness spreads to every corner of the Earth.”

Omen gritted his teeth a bit. “Those are my Family, you know.”

“Not the ones I speak of. While there are many in the Pit that follow the Will of the Dark Father, there are also those that seek to supplant him. They do not agree with His Plans for Humanity, they simply want everything to End. These are the ones you will find causing chaos on the Earth, the ones who serve no Father at all.”

Omen growled as he clenched his fist. “Betrayers of the Father? This is unacceptable. What might I do to assist in stopping this madness?”

“As you are now there is little you will be able to do against them. For while your Balefire worked well against Watchers, it has no potency against ones comprised of the same energy. You do not currently possess a magic strong enough to contest those that control the same types of energy that you do, but on a much grander scale. But be patient, young Omen. Continue to learn and train, see if you can uncover the answers to these problems. I will be here, as you and I are quite similar. You continue to fight and serve even when all those around you turn on you for it. You fight for the Will of your Father. These similarities are what allow me to speak so clearly to you. In time, and with practice, you and I can become as one being. During this period, I may speak through your words. When this happens, do not attempt to fight me. I only speak when I feel necessary, I do not wish to be in control of a Human. I am here to instruct you in more than you knew, to move you down the path.”

Omen took a knee and saluted. “Thank you for all you have spoken to me about Lord Abbadon. I will work diligently to see it done, to the best of my abilities.”

From the next morning on, Omen was training under Abbadon. Omen posed a simple question to Abbadon, and he was found to be correct in his assumption. It was a twisted version of the story of Abbadon, who had existed in all the Realms, that was the functional basis for what is called the “Spirit of the Ghost Rider”. It was Abbadon who was the “Angel” that had been “corrupted”, but it was not by means of torture, but as a function of what the task he was given did to him. He was the Spirit regularly sent by the Father to assist in guiding His Children down correct paths. For the roads inside the Darkness a long and winding, but most lead only to death. Abbadon, who was always loyal to both of the Creator Fathers, was happy to have a new task. No longer was Abbadon the Master of the Gates, but now more like the Father’s Drill Sergeant. Abbadon pushed Omen to work out every day, both cardio exercise and training with swords. He also demanded that Omen spend more and more time practicing all the various manipulations of energies, to find the purer source he needed. But Abbadon did not always remain to observe the training, many times he left Omen to train alone.

But Omen had another problem. Fenris had no garage, and the moisture in the air left his truck a constant mess. This made Omen spend hours of time cleaning it over and over. He did this because the truck to Omen represented the day he had met the Father, and thus it became his most prized possession. He was heard yelling about the condition of his truck many times throughout the house, a point which Fenris cared little about. For his vehicle, which he drove to work each day, belonged to his Grandfather. But Omen simply retorted that, as proven with his other possessions, he did not value the cleanliness of his car. Omen would rage about the filth, go out and spend hours cleaning the truck, then come back inside and complain about the time that had been wasted. Fenris told Omen he was overly concerned with the problem, but Omen seemed to take little note.

To help Omen cope with his anger, and take a break from the trailer, Fenris took Omen with him to one of the Magic tournaments he regularly attended. Omen spent some money, and was able to draft some cards for fun. Omen thoroughly enjoyed himself at the tournament, but this was not his only reason for coming. For that evening, Omen had asked Fenris to drop him off at a nearby club. Fenris agreed, saying he would be back after the tournament ended completely.

Inside the club, Omen remained quite antisocial. He knew no one, and few seemed to want to even look at him. Omen assummed this had to do with the changes in him since his decision to follow the Father. For while it had not deformed him, it had caused a serious change. This existed in his eyes, and everyone he asked about it gave him a different answer. But they all agreed, there was something very dominant and aggressive behind Omen’s eyes, but it was not Abbadon. Nor was it Belial, or Serras, or anyone he had been associating with. Looking for answers to this, Omen contacted several people. Kindra agreed to help, and used her own magic to peer into Omen’s soul. After a few minutes, she responded again. Omen was told that there was something very dark inside him, so much so that it was almost a part of him. When asked for a name, the one produced by Kindra was Cranneigh, pronounced “Kray-nay”.

It must have been this thing that the people in the club saw. For even those that seemed friendly toward Omen at first soon quickly retreated away from him. Omen did not care, for he was simply enjoying his drink and the music. Moreso due to the fact that he had learned how to manipulate energy in a new way. Omen used the energy, focusing into the drinks he ingested, adding a potency that cannot be tasted. But it could certainly be felt, as after one drink Omen was flying inside the energy. As he did, he felt a presence. This was not one of the ones he was used to, but after a few moments of chasing the energy to its source, Omen took a knee on his barstool. For the presence he felt was none other than the first Queen of the Pit, Lilith herself. She had come because she sensed the energy surrounding Omen, the deep seeded lust in his heart. Omen was great at controlling his urges, but the lack of a partner had built Omen’s stress up significantly.

Lilith told Omen to draw a rune onto the table at which he sat. Omen complied, quickly inscribing the Baphomet pentagram with his energy. Then, she had Omen move to other places around the club, doing the same thing. After completing the runes, Lilith then demanded Omen connect the runes together with energy. In doing so, Omen realized that the design of the locations of the smaller runes was yet another pentagram, encompassing almost the entirety of the club. As the energies linked together, the runes glowed brightly with energy.

“Now, spin their energies. See the lust inside them. The energy can be seen as a swirling mass of purplish black energy. As you look from one person to another, you can see the varying levels. Make the energy inside them swirl and grow, enhance their lust. Once the energy has reached a fever pitch, use the runes to draw off the energy of all of them. In this way you will receive a great amount of energy personally, but you will send it to me as well. Do me this service, and as you do see the power of Lust for yourself.”

Omen was happy to complete the assigned tasks. He joyously went to the dance floor, extending his energy out to surround everyone. Then he began to tornado their energy, forcing a spin that created massive growth. As he started this, it seemed as if the entire club decided to hit the dance floor, for it had been almost empty before. Omen pushed even harder, willing a massive increase in the energies of Lust to feed the Queen.

Omen went and got another drink. He sat down at the same table, and watched the progression. Soon after, a woman approached him. She had never spoken to Omen before, but seemed more than willing to go have sex with him. Omen ignored her, as his attention was on his task. Then, the woman made the mistake of touching Omen’s drink as he went to the bathroom. By the time he returned, she was being carried out of the club by her friends, having passed out immediately after she ingested Omen’s drink, as per the eyewitness accounts. Omen chuckled a bit, for he knew what had happened. Such is the price an untrained Human pays for touching the energetically enhanced drink of a proper servant of Darkness. He cared little, for he saw the energy growing further.

Fenris finally reappeared, but it was not Fenris. At several points, the spirit of Fenris was gone. At times, he was replaced by his nephew Inogomel. This was not his real name of course, but Omen did not concern himself with it. Inogomel was much more friendly and social than Fenris, who preferred war and slaughter. As soon as he entered the club, he asked Omen what he had done. Omen explained, and Inogomel accepted his reason. He knew better than to argue Lilith’s wishes, especially because of his fondness for succubi. He was content to sit and watch Omen as he moved around the club, spinning the energy.

Omen went and sat on a couch situated on a stage next to the dance floor. He did so to get away from the crowds and the chaos. Fenris joined him, sitting at the other end. Omen smoked and watched as the energy grew even more. As he watched, 7 different women jumped up on the stage he was seated on, and began dancing seductively. Omen enjoyed the show for a moment, then left the stage. He moved to a nearby bench. After being seated there for no less than a minute, on either side of Omen were couples making out passionately that were not there before. Omen watched the men sliding their hands up the shirts of the women, and down the pants as well. Omen smiled, for Lilith had been so right. The power of Lust was flowing freely through the club, and everyone was falling deeper into it by the second.

It was time. Omen went out to the center of the dance floor. As he gyrated to the music, he connected to the runes. They were overcharged beyond belief with purified Lust, seeming as if they would burn through what they were placed upon. After tapping in to each one, Omen began to pull. He sucked a portion of the lust that had been built up out of each person. The result returned them to just above the level of Lust they had before the spell, but they maintained an increase. As the energy flooded into Omen, he felt as if he might explode. It entered every pore of his body, making every hair stand up on end. Once he could absorb as much as he was capable of holding, he pictured the Queen. He fired the Lust at the Queen, who raised her left hand to accept the massive ball of energy. As it touched her hand, the energy wavered, then was drawn into Lilith. The energy made the Queen glow brighter, showing off all of her most beautiful attributes. But while Omen enjoyed what he had done for Lilith, he had no intentions of asking her for anything. As Omen considered it, Lilith was his Father’s Bride. For that reason, he would never attempt any form of relations with Lilith other than service as needed. Omen felt her thanks, so strong he burst out from inside his pants, soaking the insides with semen. He drove home feeling like a proper servant, and he had also learned a new form of magic. Omen praised the Father upon his return home for being visited by Lilith, as it was totally unexpected.

Several days later, Omen was outside training. Due to the offense he had taken at the actions of the Watches toward Abbadon, Omen wanted nothing more than to storm the Gates of the Heavens and blow them wide open. Omen wanted the Watchers to suffer as Abbadon had, all the while being treated as unworthy and insignificant. Omen rage seemed as if it would burn down everything around him if released fully. In his rage, Omen saw massive holes blown in the Earth, removing large portions of the worthless Humans that inhabited the cities of metal and glass. Omen wished that, in his transformation, he would receive enough power to become a giant Bull Demon, that he might personally be able to rampage the cities.

Suddenly a spirit appeared. But this spirit shone brightly in the sun, her long hair shining brightly. Omen was confrontational at first, assuming this was an agent of the Watchers sent out to attack him because of his will. But she showed Omen that she held no weapons, nor intent to harm him. Omen lowered his guard, and allowed the spirit to remain unhindered. Once he did, the spirit spoke to him.

“Greetings Omen.”

“Greetings. You seem to be much brighter in nature than most of the entities I deal with. Might I know who you are, that it might be ascertained why you are here?”

The woman swept her hand across the area surrounding them. “I am the spirit of the trees and the grass, the animals and other denizens of Nature. In your language I am referred to as Earthmother, among many other names.”

Omen was taken aback. “The Earthmother? The energies which the Father’s combined with their own to create the original Humans?”

“Yes. And as to your other question, I have come because I see your intent, and it is incorrect.”

Omen became agitatated. “What do you mean? In what ways am I wrong?”

“You seek massive chaos and destruction across the world. This cannot be allowed, as in the destruction the planet itself would be damaged. If the planet destabilizes, all life on it will end. Plant, animal, and Human alike. I will not see this happen, for the Earth and it’s inhabitants are all my children. So, I ask that you rethink your tactics, and spare as much of the planet itself as is possible.”

“I have no problems with that. I am a friend to the elements of Nature. My enemies lie inside Humanity, as well as Above. But in order to fulfill this, I will need different weapons. The energies which i am trained in are made to destroy, on a massive scale.”

“Dear Child, you still are not yet understanding. What you have been trained in is varying levels of the manipulation of energy, nothing more. You perceive one thing as different from the other because you have been trained since childhood to limit your mind’s expansion, to know only the definable limits of things. But if you can manage to wipe this away, to reset your mind to when you were a child, you will be able to understand what I mean.”

Omen bowed. “Thank you Earthmother, I appreciate your guidance. And I will do my best to see as much of the Earth spared as is possible, that the forests of the world might regrow, and replace the disgusting tributes to Man’s Greed. But I have one other request, if it is your will to allow it…”

“Go on.”

“If the situation should ever come to the brink of war, in order to assist them in our combined survival, I will need access to the minds of the Warriors of the Earth. The trees, the animals, I need to learn to feel them, and have them feel me as well. In this way I will have the support of the wilds, a place which I intend to live someday. And in this union, your warriors can assist me in maintaining the integrity of the trees. For a wolf does not destroy a tree to kill an intruder, nor does the bear ruin the beauty of the forest with it’s rages.”

The Earthmother smiled. “When the time is right, when you need the support of the Forest, I will be there. You will not be alone, the strength of the Earth will support you. But also heed my words about your growth, for time grows shorter every day. Before the day comes that all the beauty of my planet is ripped apart by Human selfishness, find some way to stop them. Do not let the Home you were all given, a rare and precious gift, be destroyed as you watch it burn all around you. For this is not my Will, nor is it the Will of your Father.”

She left, and Omen sat down to consider his newest lessons. Omen’s mind began to change, as war became less of a priority. Before Omen’s Hatred for the ignorance of Humanity, as well as it’s will to seemingly destroy itself by intention, was the cause for his want to see many of them wiped away. Simply so that there would be less stupid people on the planet, and the rest could regain the balance of the planet. But now Omen realized that he had been misguided. His own natural habits had overruled his better judgment. The answer was not to destroy everything, the answer was to breed the growth necessary to stimulate a new, positive life. Omen also realized that, in his need for revenge, he had been straying somewhat from that path. As such it was time for a readjustment, for not every step in the path of the faithful is a correct one, but all can lead to the goal if you can keep the intent as the focus.

Omen also sat and pondered what the Earthmother had said about his magic. She said it was simply, “a manipulation of energy”. Omen made a fireball in his hand, and stared at it. He saw the flames undulate in random directions, he felt the heat that it produced. Then, he launched it. As it flew, he watched the heat of the fire cut through the air, changing the makeup of it as the flame passed through. As it landed the flames exploded out in every direction. They burnt for a time, then disappeared. Omen then charged and threw a lightning bolt. He watched as the electricity cut the air in a similar way to what the fire had done. But wherres the fire seemed to melt the molecules in the air away, the lightning passed through them in transferrence. In this way, much fewer of the molecules of the air were damaged in the passing of the bolt. And when it connected, the bolt did damage that produced similar levels of lethality to the target, but without the mess of the residual burns. The bolt passed into the ground, where it simply became energy inside the Earth.

“That’s it,” Omen said to himself. “That’s what she means. The bolt and the fire are created from the same energy, yet they produce different effects. This means that energy can be manipulated into all form and fashion, with the proper level of effort. But wait, if that standard holds true…”

Omen stood up, put his headphones in, and went to work. He learned to change his perception, seeing simply the energy he wished to manipulate. But instead of weaponizing this energy, Omen sent it to the trees and animals, the children of the Earthmother. The images he was shown as this happened were astounding. He saw energy as one thing, split into billions of smaller pieces. Each piece was individual, but also part of the whole. Omen reached out to the source of the energy, and reached the realization. The Power can be as it is willed to be. It is a result of the will of the user, and their internal intentions. Thus Omen began to practice new attacks, readying himself as he had been instructed to do. In doing so, through extreme manipulations of the Human soul inside him, Omen was able to tap into the Fires of Purity. This allowed Omen the ability to tap into the Holy Fire, though doing so was not comfortable. But Omen knew that this was a weapon that could be used against Demons, for they are weak to it’s energy. Omen began to add the Holy Fire to his arsenal of weapons, as just another elemental weakness to exploit in his enemies.

9

Omen woke up full of excitement. He shaved and trimmed his hair, for this was a special day. Tonight, Omen had made some very specific plans. He intended to head back to the same club he had visited before. But this was no ordinary day. Not only was it Friday, regarded as the Father’s Day, but it was the Friday night before Halloween. As such, Omen was going in costume, intending to send tribute to the Father while at the club. But Omen had also been very lonely. His conversations with Treya, as well as random emotional support from Kindra, could not cure the pain he felt inside. For Treya had been extremely hesitant in coming to America, though her excuse was always the money required. And Omen had almost no interaction with the outside world. This caused an internal need for a mate for himself to grow. So he also had a secondary intention for the evening, obvious by the hygiene materials he packed in a bag to take with him.

The day passed as normal. Fenris was understanding of Omen’s need to visit the club, and wished to go with, but could not due to his job. So Omen prepared to go by himself and enjoy the pleasures of the Lust energy. He spent some time focusing his energies, ensuring he was ready to properly perform the inscriptions. He visualized in his mind the exact spots where Lilith had instructed him to draw them before, so he could properly repeat the magic. As the time drew nearer, Omen drove to Jackson. He readied himself as a Love’s Rest Stop there, for their shower was not working correctly. He changed into his costume, an evil clown dressed in red and black. His outfit came with the proper ruffles, and even a tiny top hat. Omen smiled inside the mask as he stared at himself, for he knew the costume suited him well. Much similar to his years in the Army, when he dressed as Jason Vorhees, making a point to scare even adults in his neighborhood.

After readying himself, he removed his mask and headed for the car wash. For once again, the rain had left water spots across his paint. He grumbled as he washed his vehicle about how much money had to be wasted keeping this clean, simply because of where Omen was forced to live. Especially in a situation such as this, where Omen might find someone to take home with him, and need his vehicle to look and smell nice for the sake of it’s attractiveness. For it had been proven that females did enjoy riding passenger in the truck, because people tended to stare at the reflective paint. This fed their own egos, a thing most people tend to enjoy doing. So Omen made sure every inch was clean, just in case. The sun has set by the time Omen was finished with his meticulous cleaning.

He still had a few hours until the club would be interesting, for people don’t usually get going until after Midnight. As such he grabbed a bite to eat at a local Steak n’ Shake, a place he had enjoyed since his childhood in Illinois. They always had remained relatively reasonable in their pricing, while maintaining a nice, clean, friendly restaurant environment. Omen enjoyed his cheeseburger, as well his random conversation with his waitress. Omen told her that when she got off work she should join him at the club, though he never expected her to go. After he finished his meal he headed outside, ready to drive to the club.

Omen had his music going. He was driving the speed limit, even under it at times, because he was in no hurry. Omen pictured in his mind the joyous time he would have. His thoughts drifted to his experience last time. Perhaps this time, one of the girls he saw dancing he would converse with, and use the strong energy to his advantage. Omen’s GPS easily led the way without the need for him to stare at it, calling out his turns in advance. Omen giddily awaited the intersting things that would transpire inside the club.

Suddenly, a bright flash of light,. Someone, either in the opposing lanes or behind him, had flashed their brights. Omen was blinded, a symptom of his diagnosed aversion to light.Omen took his foot off the gas, dropping the truck into neutral out of habit. But as his sight came back, Omen was horrified. He slammed on his brakes, but went careening into the rear of the vehicle parked at the stop light in front of him. Omen had managed to slow down significantly, but it had not been nearly enough. Time seemed to slow as his front end, made mostly of plastic and fiberglass, was crushed by the steel bumper of the full-size truck he had hit. His airbag deployed, and his head struck it violently, whipping back to strike his headrest.

Omen came around. He was extremely sore in his head and his back. As he looked around, he saw the results of the accident. The entire front end had been annihilated, as the plastic provided the components no protection. Omen’s radiator now sat where the motor was. Fluid could be seen to leak into the cab of the truck, recognized as a combination of oil and various vehicle fluids. But Omen did not smell fuel, so he was not concerned about a fire. He groaned and grunted as he took off his seat belt and began to open his door. But before he could, he saw the lights of a police car. As such he waited, and located where his cell phone had fallen.

The officer came up to his window, and asked if Omen was ok. Omen responded, “No, but more than that I’m pissed”.

Omen explained to the officer what had happened. He told the officer about his issues with bright lights, the same reason he is found wearing sunglasses each day. He explained going blind, and what the result had been. The officer asked Omen if he could step outside, and Omen happily complied. He was sent to sit on the curb of the street as the officers controlled the traffic surrounding the accident. As he did so, Omen contacted USAA. He did so simply to inform them of the accident, for the sake of any claims made against it. For USAA had falsely declared his vehicle a Total Loss, junk by standards of title. This meant that they would give him nothing to fix the vehicle, it was simply gone. Omen began to sob as he realized fully that his precious truck was destroyed. With the level of damage, it would never see life again.

They awaited the tow truck’s arrival. The officers had asked Omen repeatedly if he wished to be taken to the hospital. But Omen, having no insurance and little money, would not have unpayable bills forced upon him. So he declined, but found that the accident would still be very costly. Even the fee to tow the truck back to Fenris’ house and drop it off was over two hundred dollars. For no reason at all but the distance traveled, a blatant scam. For the person who has had the accident has no choice but to have their vehicle towed, even if the rates are outrageous.

On the way back to the house, Omen heard the voice of the Father in his mind. But this was not the same happy, loving Father that Omen was accustomed to dealing with. Instead, the Father’s energy raged like and inferno, so strong Omen trembled in fear.

“This was done to you for a reason. Because this is what you had earned through your actions. For months now, you have wasted energy complaining about cleaning your vehicle. You attributed this thing to your love for ME. You placed it above things of more import, wasting both time and money. The term used to define one who does such a thing, placing any object above all other things, is called Idolatry. And I will not tolerate any Idolater to serve in My Name.

In addition, tonight you had said was about sending energy to Me. But in your individual Lust, you began to place your want for sex above you want to make Me happy on My special day. You disrespected me directly. You would have been no better for seeing yourself spit in My Eye than what you had done. For these reasons you were punished for your actions, that you might learn from them in the future. I am extremely upset with you on this night, My Night. You will work to repair this damage, for I have told you to do so.”

Omen began to sob when he realized the level of his disrespect. He cried all the way home, which the tow truck driver attributed to the loss of the vehicle. When they arrived, Fenris was shocked. But he also made mention that he had felt something terrible some time ago. When they checked the times on his feelings, it was found to be just before Omen crashed. It sent a shudder down both of their spines to know that they were so connected, to be able to feel each other across miles of distance. As the truck was dropped into the front yard, Omen walked over and touched it. He began to circle the vehicle, apologizing about everything. He begged the vehicle’s forgiveness for his misjudgements, which had cost the vehicle it’s beauty. He begged the forgiveness of the Father for his failure, as well he pleaded for a chance to redeem himself someday. He felt the Father again, but He had returned to His usual form of projection. The Father had simply taught Omen a lesson, he was not holding any grudges. For in being truly apologetic, he had proven his will to learn from his mistakes.

The next months passed mostly without event. Omen was intied to Thanksgiving dinner with Fenris’ family, which he happily accepted. This had been his first real meal of the sort in years, for while working for the Army the food was never the same. Omen even made sure to bring a pan of green bean casserole with him to contribute. They all sat and ate until they were full, then spent some time in conversation. This was an interesting experience for Omen, who due to his solitude and studies had become differently opinionated about Human beings. In public, Omen now found it hard to hold his tongue about all the random stupidity he saw. How the people around him wasted their lives, working to support things that all rot away eventually. Omen had become disgusted with almost everyone, but he still made it a point to allow each a chance to prove to him that they were not the same as the others. For as he had been told over and again, “All Humans have the right to choose. Just as they choose to be vile, they can choose not to be. Few are capable of this change of character, because it is very difficult. But it is accomplishable, and every Human must be given the opportunity. This is one of the things I expect you to teach others, just as you were taught.”

Omen had been working pretty hard. His work entailed attempting to understand the stories of the past in the Heavens enough to properly write them down. Based on everything he knew from the Father, from Abbadon, and from all the others, Omen could not believe that the stories were completely accurate. Omen found too many inconsistencies, but noted also that many of the facts surrounding did match. So Omen began to focus on some of the individual stories, trying to find the Truth inside. He researched subjects listed as of great importance throughout the claimed spiritual history of Humanity. But as much as the stories contradicted one another, Omen always found similarities in the stories, when viewed from the position of one reading stories written by people from many Ages past, spanning thousands of years.

Omen found in several of the stories references to one form or another of major Flood that happened. But while the Bible implied that the world was flooded simply because Humans had become corrupted, Omen couldn’t imagine such a thing. For in many of the stories beforehand, the YHVH had punished the mass responsible for the offense, not the entirety of the planet. But with more research and inflection, a much different story was told. Once Omen began to understand these concepts for himself, Abbadon’s voice entered his mind.

“The Great Flood was a decision that was made by more than one of the strong beings in the Heavens. The reasons for it’s necessity were varied. The main cause was the over population of the Nephilim. These beings, the procreation of both Watchers and Demons with Humans. These beings grew to amazing size, and possessed a strength far above the Human norm. But due to their size, they consumed massive amounts of food, equated to 100 cows a day. As their numbers grew, the resources of the Earth could not support them. And their strength was such that few contested them. To protect the Human Experiment, the world was flooded, and those of faith inside each region were given ways to survive the chaos. In this way, the world was slowly repopulated afterward, removing the original problem. This was directly against the wishes of the Earthmother, who had already receded her waters once to create a proper habitat for the newly bred Humans. But the Plan was enacted, and at the same time the Veil was erected. This barrier prevented the physical transferrence of those from the Heavens, and from the Pit as well. In this way, Humanity was made safe to grow on their own as a species. It is holes in this Veil that my task was to repair.”

This all made perfect sense. It had not been simply the rottenness of people, but a threat to the stability of the planet that warranted the drownings of so many. But Abbadon’s references to the Veil hit home with Omen as repeatedly important. For the Veil, being the barrier between the Realms, was the only thing preventing a full on invasion by Demons. But it was also the only thing preventing the Father from standing on the Earth as well. Omen was not sure which side of this to take at first, but soon understood the Veil’s necessity. It allows balance to be somewhat maintained, so Humans can develop without a physical force to guide them. It forces Humans to adapt their minds, learning to connect to the Will and follow it. Besides, if Abbadon had guarded it, and Omen was to become similar to Abbadon, the same task might be levied on him someday by the Father. Omen decided that he would wait to make any individual decision until he fully understood the Father’s Will for him.

Omen had begun to expand, trying to reach out to others that were of the Father. Lacking anything nearby, Omen turned to Facebook. The majority of what he found were those that claimed to be dark as an excuse to act vile themselves. But he did meet several people whose viewpoints helped enhance his own. Usually they came from various Satanic groups, where Omen would see their postings and begin conversations with them. This led Omen to be invited to more groups of this sort, expanding his perspective even further. He began to see complications in the groups, as varying forms of Satanist warred with one another over who was correct.

Omen sought to correct this, and sat down at his laptop to write. He wrote and posted many various stories, trying to get some sort of positivity across. He tried to be a voice of Faith instead of War, as was commonplace amongst his dark Family. Omen did his best to stay out of these confrontations, unless the words of the offenders turned toward disrespect of the Father Himself. In those situations Omen rose up violently, demanding that, “Children learn their place”. This was not taken well by the others, and it cost Omen a couple of the groups he was a member of. Omen cared little, for he knew not everyone is capable of seeing past their Hatreds and learning.

As the year drew to an end, Omen’s life fell into chaos. For the last roughly two months, Treya had claimed to be preparing to come to Tennessee. This was planned for by many, as the ritual was scheduled to go on while she was present. Omen had spent much time attempting to prepare himself, that he might be good enough for his new mate. But as the time drew near, she gave nothing but excuses. Then her excuses turned to insults, as she began to chastise Omen for everything. She claimed she had never cared for him, that the whole thing was done by intent. For the spirit inside her was not as it had said, a fact that confirmed Omen’s most terrible suspicions. For through Treya, the Arch Uriel had manipulated Omen, preventing him from ever finding someone to fulfill the role of The Lover in time.

Omen was filled with dread. For this plan was intended of the Father, and Omen was afraid to see it not happen in time. For like all those that study in the Darkness, Omen was well aware that Humans who cannot fulfill the needs of the Beings Outside are generally cast aside. And one such as Omen, who had been given more knowledge than most, would probably wind up dead for his failure. Omen went out into the woods and cried for hours. He cried at the thought that he might lose his life, but he cried harder at his inability to complete the assigned task.

In the midst of his misery, the Father appeared. He told Omen that, while the plan had been knocked off course, nothing was finished. He reminded Omen that, “The war does not end until the warrior can no longer fight”. He told Omen to stop crying, to get up and go back to his studies. For when one door closes, another waits to be opened.

Omen did as he was told, his resolve to fight strengthened by the words of the Father. He went back to his writings, which began to garner more attention. This led Omen to be respected for his work, and sought for counsel by others of his kind. Some had interesting viewpoints of their own, which added details to things Omen had already perceived. As Omen wrote, the words continued to flow without thought. It was as if, once he began to fill himself with the energy and write, the words wrote themselves.

One who took notice of Omen’s work was named Genavieve. But she did not refer to herself by her real name to any but her contacts in her real life. To everyone else, she was what she associated herself to. A Watcher by the name of Sarafiel. According to Genavieve, Sarafiel once was told to sound the Horn given to her. This was one of the Horns signifying the End of the Ages of Humanity. But Sarafiel, in her want to not see Humanity wiped away, refused. She fled, hiding the Trumpet away so that it could not be blown. In order to protect herself, Sarafiel had fragmented her soul, spreading the pieces out to the winds. The fragments lodged themselves into Humans, which gave them connection to the power of Sarafiel. Through the connection Genavieve said she had learned to draw her own power.

Omen told Genavieve about his recent interactions with Uriel, and the loss of the Plans put in place. She felt horribly for him, but at the same time she claimed a connection to him. For Genavieve said that her own path involved Abbadon, as he had attempted to reach out to her for some time. She claimed that, for a time, her soon to be ex-husband had learned to channel Abbadon fully, even procreating a child with her through him. Omen looked to the sky for confirmation from Abbadon, and found no argument on the subject. But when questioned as to why, Abbadon remained silent. This is, and has always been, a sign of great secrets among Watchers, who are normally happy to discuss any topic openly. Omen decided to leave Abbadon’s secrets to him, and to focus on the situation.

The situation was not normal. Genavieve had been in a “polyamorous relationship” for some time. While she was married, to a soldier in the military, she said that he had been horrible to both her and the child, and thus she was set to leave him. She made references to her want to visit Omen, to see for herself those things that cannot be seen anywhere else. Omen was interested to see if Genavieve held the potential to replace Treya, and allow the ritual to go forward.

Then, it happened. Genavieve told Omen that it had been requested of her to leave her husband, and to move to Missouri. The one that had invited her Omen knew from the groups as Norman, though they all called him Norm. Genavieve said Norm was able to contact the spirit of the Fallen Samael, regarded as a King of Hell. She claimed she was packing her things, to be shipped across country, and driving there. But she would not be alone. She planned to take her small child with her, as well as her best friend Blake. But Blake was more than her friend. Blake had been her lover as well in the polyamorous relationship many times, according to the stories Genavieve told. She spoke of love as a thing that can encompass more than two people, that can allow groups to love each other freely without complaint.

Omen realized that the drive from South Carolina to Missouri was long. But situated right along the road was the way to Fenris’ trailer. Even though they had no heat, and the trailer was freezing at night, Omen invited them all to stay. He said they would do well to drive the first distance, then stay overnight and recharge. He told Genavieve that they could easily repay Omen and Fenris for the night’s stay by making breakfast for everyone before they left. As well Omen and Genavieve would finally get a chance to meet one another face to face. Everyone agreed that this was the best idea for them, so that they would not be driving tired with a child present.

The next evening, Omen got a phone call. He heard Genavieve’s voice. Apparently, they had forgotten where their turn was, no gas stations were open nearby, and they were lost. Omen talked with her for several minutes, locating her position. Once he did, he gave them instructions on which ways to turn, guiding them to the trailer. He stood outside and awaited their arrival. As the tiny car pulled up, Omen saw that it was packed quite full. It stopped, and Genavieve ran to give Omen a hug. She was much smaller than Omen, very small in build. Her long brown hair hung down over both shoulders, but was matted from the long trip. As they hugged Omen felt the warmth of her body, something he had not felt in quite some time.

Blake stepped out from the vehicle, and Omen shook his hand and welcomed him. Blake was taller than Omen by several inches, with long blonde hair that hung down to the center of his back in a ponytail. Omen began helping unpack the necessities from the car. It was raining, so Omen expedited his work. Cooking utensils, things for her infant son, and the bags of their individual clothing. After all things were carried inside, Omen provided a tour. Immediately, complaints arose as to the lack of heat in the house. Omen reminded them all that he had mentioned this before they had arrived. But he also told Genavieve that he would let her and her child sleep in his room for the evening, and he would sleep in the living room. She thanked him for his kindness, and they all sat down to converse.

They went into town, and acquired the necessary ingredients for dinner. Leaf spinach, rather than the iceberg lettuce used in most salads, simply because of the increase in nutritional value. They also procured various ingredients to make Genavieve’s supposedly “famous” stir fry. Omen happily bought the ingredients himself, but they demanded the right to assist. They said this was because they stayed with him for the evening, and it was only proper for opening their home to feed Fenris and Omen. They drove back to the trailer, and started to work.

As they cooked dinner, many conversations were had. The first was Guenavieve’s repeated request that Omen refer to her as Sara, in respect to the angelic presence she channeled. Omen understood, for he had also been given a “spirit moniker” to be used. Omen went into his room, coming back with a bag of gifts. But the gifts were not for Sara, they were for her son. For Omen had heard the stories, of the child being created by Abbadon’s influence. Because Abbadon was so close, Omen almost felt his “fatherly instinct” take over at times. Omen smiled with joy as he saw the child playing, though he had no particular reason to do so. And the child seemed interested in the gifts Omen provided, various foam and plastic weapons. A sword, hammer, shield, and dagger. As Abbadon had put it, “Everything the child will need to begin learning to use weaponry, that he might be versed in it later in life”.

As Sara and Blake continued cooking, Omen spent time playing with the child. Children had always been endeared to Omen, obvious by his consistent good relations with them. This is because Omen refuses to judge their level of Knowledge or Understanding solely by their age, or any other single trait. Omen saw out of the corner of his eye as Sara stared at them. But she was not judgmental in her gaze, it was one of happiness and respect. She had said there had been much chaos in her home before they had left, and the child had been being mistreated by his father. This was a thing Omen would not stand for, as he has always believed that the intentional mistreatment of children with no cause is wrong. It seemed the child took an instant liking to Omen as they sat and spent time together. Omen took a keen interest in the child’s love of the Hot Wheels he had brought with him, as they were obviously his favorites.

All sat down to eat until they were full. The food was amazing, the flavors precise and the vegetables cooked just enough to be properly edible while maintaining the nutrients inside. Omen made a point to do the dishes himself as the others sat down and talked. They discussed the trip so far, as well as the current destination. Sara spoke of how exciting what she was headed there was, and how hard she intended to work for her dreams. Omen, curious to know more, began to ask deeper questions. But the subject was quickly changed to other things.

Omen retired to his room for a time before the others went to sleep. He did this so that he could have some private time to focus himself and catch up on his multitude of Facebook messages. As he did, there was a knock at the door. Sara entered, and apologized for disturbing him, claiming she had some things she needed to discuss with him. Omen accepted this, as she had been so obviously evasive before, and Omen wanted more answers.

Sara finally explained what was really going on. She had been hesitant before, as she had not been able to see Omen’s true intentions. She said that she had to see for herself whether Omen was or was not the one she had expected. But she said he was exactly what she thought, someone who was being trained to channel Abbadon purely. She said this was part of a much greater plan, as Abbadon’s spirit was needed in the world. She said this was because the Time of the End was coming, and those who are meant to be participants in it were inhabiting Humans in preparation. She asked Omen if he was ready to take such an important position as Abbadon’s. As well she questioned whether Omen would be able to give up his attachment to himself in order to allow a pure channeling. Omen reassured Sara that whatever he had to endure was just a step along the road, a road he willingly walked.

After their discussion, Omen went to the bathroom to change into his sleeping clothes. As he prepared to leave the room, Sara asked him to stop. She told Omen that her son would only sleep beside Blake, due to the fact that he had taken care of the child for so long. She said that, since the child would not be staying in the room that Omen should stay. It was understood that there was to be no physical contact, as Sara was going to be with another. After debating it, Omen finally gave in. He lay down on his mattresses as Sara cuddled up beside him. Out of habit, Omen wrapped his arm around Sara’s shoulder, closing his eyes to sleep.

“I can feel him inside you. You are his next chosen, to replace my failing ex-husband. For he could not complete the tasks assigned, thus the energy of Abbadon has moved to another. If you accept this change, you will eventually be a part of my son’s life, as his true father will want to spend time with him.”

Omen was not sure how to feel. For he had tried many times before to be involved in the lives of children that were not his own. And while the children loved playing games and running outside with Omen, the parents were the ones that seemed to have problems with it. Their presuppositions as to Omen’s nature were the cause of this, as was the case with most of the prejudices Omen faced. But Omen held a special place in his heart for the children, who have not yet been corrupted by those around them and made vile inside. He also remembered that his doctor had told him that his sperm count was extremely lower for a Human, and that reproduction without laboratory assistance was nearly impossible. Thus Omen did not have much to look forward to in children of his own, and enjoying time with the children of others helped ease this pain. He thought that maybe this wasn’t such a bad thing, maybe being a “father figure” would help him find balance within.

“Will you accept that responsibility? Will you be a father to my child, in order to make Abbadon happy?”

Omen thought for a moment. “If that is the Will for my life, than I will accept it. But I am not sure yet as to whether that will work or not, for you are going to be with someone else. While I can spend time with the child, and treat him as a son to someone whom I respect, I cannot say that I believe being his new father will be effective for his growth.”

Sara seemed to understand this. “You know, it makes sense to be wary of such a big change. Let’s try this: you come with us to Missouri, just for a few days. You need to get out of here for awhile anyway, I can tell by all we’ve talked about recently that you’ve been feeling trapped in this place. Come, take a little vacation. You can stay with us in the hotel room, free of charge. My only request is, when the container arrives with my things that you help us unpack it.”

Omen thought about it. She was right, he needed to get away from the trailer. After the loss of his truck, his freedom had been cut to 0. And Omen had never visited this part of Missouri, so it might be an interesting experience. This would also give Omen time to sort out the swirling of emotions that he could not keep control over. Omen finally agreed, saying that he could take over the driving responsibilities, with his GPS and military experience. She enjoyed the idea, as she had been doing all the driving previously. She said it would be nice to have such a “strong, capable man” around to assist her in moving to her new home. Sara nestled even further into Omen’s chest, and the odor that eminated from her was intoxicating. It smelled of sweet honey and fields of flowers, but she wore no perfume. The odor seemed to exude from her skin itself, filling Omen’s nostrils with joy. The scent was comforting as Omen drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Omen packed some things into the same bags that he usually carried on trips. This included his computer bag, so he could bring his laptop, as well as materials to charge his phone and a few other items. He knew he didn’t need much, for three days was all he was expected to be gone. Omen told Fenris he would be back, and to keep an eye on the house. Fenris was saddened, for as Omen left he would be alone again. But he understood Omen’s need for some time away, and so he said his temporary goodbyes.

The drive was very strange. Omen encountered many more bad drivers than he was accustomed to. Especially semis that he would pass in areas with sharp dropoffs. Omen began to reach out with his energy. Something was attacking them, entering the minds of the other drivers. Sara was jostled awake many times as Omen swerved to avoid these potential accidents. Sara would be agitated at first, but quickly calmed when she heard what was going on. AFter witnessing this trend for herself more than once, there was no more argument. Something was trying to prevent this trip from happening. But Omen, while tapping into the vast knowledge and skill of Abbadon, was not phased by these things. He continued on, even as his eyes became heavy, until they had reached their destination.

Night had long since settled in when they reached their goal. Sara tried calling Norm multiple times, but received no response. They sat in parking lots in the city, with no idea where to go to rest for the night. Everyone became upset, as Norm had been fully supportive of the whole plan, and had been in constant contact up until this night. Once the aggravation had reached a fever pitch, finally Norm came into contact. But his response was that he had no way to met with them, and they needed to look after themselves for the evening. After raging about this for a moment, Omen searched out a hotel nearby for them to stay on his phone. One was located, and Omen drove the last few miles.

They went inside. The room was beautiful, complete with a stove and sink for cooking. This was part of the intent, as they had brought food with them. After unpacking they began working on dinner, as Sara also asked Omen to borrow his laptop to use Facebook. After dinner they sat and talked more, mostly about what they would do if Norm continued acting the way he was. They decided to work out those issues in the morning. Each took time to clean themselves thoroughly from the long trip.

Omen asked, with all four of them, how sleeping would be arranged. Sara decided that Blake would do best to sleep with the child, to keep him calm at night when he became scared. Blake agreed to this, citing the child’s wild sleep habits. As such, finishing his shower first, Omen laid down to sleep. Out of respect for her Omen wore his sweat shorts to bed, for Omen did not wear underwear. This he knew would be rude and disrespectful. Omen turned to face the window, thinking about all that was going on. He wanted to figure out why he felt it necessary to come on this trip, why he had been pushed so hard inside.

The lights were out by the time Sara finished her shower and lay down to sleep. To Omen’s surprise, she cuddled up next to him with her clothes spread wide open, leaving her naked breasts exposed for Omen to see. Omen shyed away from her at first, as they had not discussed anything quite of this nature. As she lay down Omen was nervous to put his hands on her, thinking it undignified. But as she moved his hand across to hold her, Omen no longer argued. As per his hyperactive habits when with a woman, proven over years of marriage, Omen let his hands wander across Sara’s soft skin. She cooed softly as he cupped her breast in his hand, wincing slightly as he pinched the nipple. The sound turned to a quieted moan as Omen’s hands ventured beneath the sheet, touching at the warmth between her legs. Sara melted into his hands as Omen began to stroke her.

Omen moved the covers as he slid closer to Sara. But as He slid his pants down, Sara pushed away from him and told him no. Omen was shocked, as it was Sara that had started the entire thing. But Omen kept his honor, immediately leaving the bed. He slid his clothes on and stormed out of the room as Sara watched on. He went outside and listened to his music as he prayed. As agaitated as he was with Sara about flipping her position so quickly, it was not his major issue. Due to his body preparing for intercourse, he had built up tension. The tension had caused the condition known as “blue balls”, or the swelling of the testicles causing extreme pain. Omen spent most of his time doubled over in the field behind the hotel as he attempted to withstand the pain.

Omen eventually learned to manage the pain, finally walking back inside. As he reentered the room Sara rushed to meet him, begging for his forgiveness. She explained that she had come to stay with Norm, and did not want to begin anything with Omen until she was sure he was not going to be there for her. She asked Omen to tell her it was okay, and Omen refused. He explained what had happened to him physically because of her actions. She was shocked, tears welling up in her eyes, and continued to apologize. But Omen refused to accept any of them, stating simply, “You cannot ask forgiveness for something you continue to do”. He laid down, turning the way in which was most comfortable, and went to sleep. When Sara attempted to snuggle next to him, Omen pushed her away. He would not continue to play this game with her, Omen knew he deserved better treatment than that.

The next day, Norm finally contacted Sara. He said that he had fallen asleep, as well the woman he currently stayed with was “up his ass”. The woman Omen discovered was the mother of Norm’s child, who also considered Norm to still be with her. But from Norm’s words he did not like the way she treated him, as a slave to her. However, Omen also noted the stories and references to the fact that it had been much time since Norm had brought any form of income to the household, even though he had a child. This seemed like an irresponsible person, and it upset Omen that this was who was chosen over him. This was the reason why as he heard these stories he was in continual pain, as his condition had not yet subsided.

As they sat at the hotel, Sara and Norm sat together on the bed. Omen sat with Blake on the opposing bed, and the child moved about by his choice. Sara and Norm became quite touchy with one another. When Sara asked Omen and Blake to leave, that she and Norm talk privately for awhile, Omen knew exactly what was happening. He made a point to lock off his laptop, preventing access, before he left the room. Omen felt terribly disrespected through all this, and decided to react in kind. As Sara attempted to give them a time to return Omen did not pause to listen, but he did pause to throw a menacing stare at Norm.

Blake attempted to calm Omen as they left the hotel. He explained that Sara had made a decision to be with Norm, and that was that. Omen retorted that if that had been her only wish, she should have kept her clothes on and stopped him long before she did. He also added that she was now knowingly having sex with the same person that was the reason why he was now in constant pain, after he had done nothing but be kind to her and follow her leads. Omen turned away from Blake, going out in the field to pray. He prayed for a release from his pain. He also asked that the one who had caused it be forced to suffer in an equally painful way.

Omen and Blake went to a nearby ice cream shop to eat. After a while Sara and Norm joined them, looking somewhat unkempt from their recent romp. This only fueled the fire of Omen’s aggravation, but he maintained his composure. He respected Sara’s right to make her own decision, but still did not feel Norm was worthy of what he was being given. For since his arrival Norm had done nothing but ask for everything, from money for food to cigarettes. He brought nothing to them being there, and Omen wondered how he was expected to support both Sara and her son, while also having Blake there. Omen continued to stew in his mind about how worthless the newest addition was, especially after hearing that he was expected to drive them places as they sat in the back and kissed. He tossed Sara her keys, saying he was going back to the room, and they could go wherever they chose.

As he left the shop Sara was close behind him. She grabbed his arm, asking him why he was being so harsh towards them. Omen explained the entirety of his position, as well his belief that Norm was not the right one for her or her son’s future. Omen told Sara she would be better off coming to stay with him at Fenris’ than to support a bum until she was run dry. But Sara told Omen that Norm had been found to be necessary, because of his connection to Samael. Sara had told Omen that there were many reasons that he did not understand as to why Sara felt she had to choose Norm. But she also remarked that she would be lying not to admit having feelings for Omen. Omen pulled away from her as he remarked, “You cannot claim to care for me and lie with him as I sit blue-balled because of you while you do nothing”.

Omen walked away from Sara. She returned inside the shop, and soon after Norm came chasing behind him. Now it was Norm who was trying to calm Omen down, something that made him spit at the ground.

“Youre pathetic. You bring nothing to this group other than your ego and the ability to channel a spirit. The only functional part of this could be found in another person, thus you are not required. You do not deserve a second of Sara’s time, let alone to be touching her over a person that actually cares and was kind without an intent to have sex. I went days of being nice and polite while not touched physically. You acted like a total dick when we got here, made excuses, then came over like it had not been an issue, and went straight into bed. And then you, after all your disrespect, forced me out of the room so you could get laid, while you are the same reason I am in constant pain. If you think you can calm me, you are sadly mistaken. You are a dog, and no dog could ever speak to me from a position of respect or power.”

Norm tried to maintain his ego in front of Omen, but he was seen to walk back slouched with his head hung to the shop. Omen returned to the room, and began preparing his things. He had been told he would be taken home within 3 days. After experiencing all this, Omen was ready to go. This was not a vacation as it had been promised, Omen was more stressed now than before. As the rest returned, Omen had little to say to them. Norm was still upset from having been put into his place by Omen, and he could not look Omen in the eyes. Blake pulled Omen aside, and attempted to speak to him. But his words fell on mostly deaf ears. Omen told Blake that he was not responsible for the actions that caused his anger, but by constantly agreeing with any decisions made by Sara, he was also held accountable for them. Omen warned Blake that maybe it was time for him to develop his own opinion, not just cosign to Sara.

Omen left again to worship rather than continue the sick feeling he had. After he had been outside awhile Blake and Norm came to where he was singing. They told Omen that Sara wanted to speak with him alone, she had already spoken with them both. They walked down the road, headed to the nearby grocery store for ingredients for dinner. Omen returned inside the hotel to find Sara sitting cross-legged on the bed. She asked Omen to come sit beside her, and he did so. She asked Omen if he was really ready to act like an adult, the kind of adult that could be responsible enough to take care of a child. She questioned his recent behavior, calling him immature. She said Omen had known that she had come here for Norm, for she felt a stronger pull from Samael than from Abbadon. She also said that the last one Abbadon had chosen had been found unworthy of her based on his abuses, and thus she was wary to even consider another. She said Abbadon, “Has a perchant for military types, as when proper they exude the same traits as Abbadon himself, Warriors of Protection”. But she warned that, in order to even come close, Omen would have to accept that Abbadon was simply chasing her. And that, if Omen was to be around, he would have to accept their relationship was not as it was with Norm.

Omen snickered. “The same? Hell no. He doesn’t deserve a woman’s time. He lives here, and yet has no motivation to support the child he has. You think once your money runs out that he will be able to support you with no job? You think he’s gonna get up off his ass for you when he can stay living with his girlfriend and son? And on that topic, just where do you intend to have your stuff sent anyway, the hotel parking lot? You talk like you know what you are doing, but you have no idea. So fine, choose the bum, I could give a damn. But when you realize how stupid you were for turning down someone that puts in as much effort as I do for someone that is obviously self-obsessed you will understand. And don’t bother crawling back asking me for any chances, the door will be shut.”

Sara’s eyes were wide behind her glasses. It seemed Omen’s words had struck home with her. She sat in silence for a moment, then nodded and walked to the computer. She began typing away, sending Facebook messages to Norm. Soon they returned, and dinner was made. Omen was no longer rude or unpleasant in any way other than poking fun. He tried to get to know Norm as a person, since his decision with Sara had been made. He ignored her almost completely, striking up many conversations with the other guys. He spoke to Blake about his massage techniques, which he had seen Blake perform on Sara more than once. He spoke to Norm about the UFC-style training he was doing.

Sara seemed surprised at how easily Omen had turned off the switch, and now was happy and joking. But any point as which she tried to hug or touch him, Omen moved away. He was making his point quite clear, there is no middle ground. The girlfriend is treated especially well by her other because of the relationship they share. Men are nice, polite, and even kind to women they are not in relationships with. But unless one is a dog, one does not touch all over the woman of another, for that is not your place. Especially in his presence, that is a disrespect that few men would tolerate.

The night continued without interruption as they talked about many things. Things of spirit, things of function. They spoke about the potential for great progress. For Sara had a story that she wanted to tell of her own spiritual interactions. She said this was to be done with a graphic novel, entitled, “Tears of Sarafiel”. She said that with this story, which was one of her movement both through the Heavens and the Pit, would help expand people’s minds as to the nature of the beings that reside in those places. She said this would be a necessary step, that without something new for people to understand about faith they would be lost. Omen agreed that this was a failing in most people, as they lived their lives for nothing. He told Sara that he hoped her story would reach it’s goal, that with strong effort she could succeed. For the sketches she had shown him were beautifully done, showing all of the spirits they associated with. One showed the “Angel” Sarafiel, whose wings were meant to shine beautifully in a dazzling array of colors. Another showed the small and wiry Samael, who could obviously be seen to be much more capable than his stature let on.

The final picture was one she had drawn of Abbadon through the many times she had seen him. Omen was shocked at the detail in her drawings. It brought much more to Omen’s perception of Abbadon himself, as Omen as more skilled at feeling the spirits than seeing them. This Omen had been told was a special precaution of some kind, barriers that had been placed on him that only he could break down. He was told over and over, despite his many arguments about it, that his eye would only open completely in the time allowed by the Father, not before. So as Omen stared at the picture, what he felt took shape. Abbadon looked tired, from so many Ages of combating the Demons and the vile holes. His wings, which obviously once had been large and bright, hung ragged and dirty at his sides. He had long curly hair, though this was something he and Omen had discussed many times. As he put it, “That may have been the old style, and I am seen with it at times, but the hair of the warrior should be cropped short to prevent it becoming a disadvantage”.

Omen praised Sara for her fine artwork. She noted that this was the reason she knew her calling. She said that with Omen and Norm around she had begun to see clearer details as to the story she was trying to tell, because of the spirits they channeled individually. She spoke of her high hopes that they would all be able to work together on these things, that in combined effort they would all be made stronger. Everyone nodded in agreement, for none were as concerned with themselves as the intent of the Original Plan, one agreed to by both “sides”.

The plan involved the Creation of Humanity, and reasons for it. For if understood by so many that “something” had Created them, this had to be done with purpose. Originally, the best theories on this state that Humanity was created as a form of slavery, to mine gold and other precious things for the Creators, that they might take them back to their Homeworld. But the problem with this theory lie in examples found of evidence supporting to the contrary. For the sites of these great ceremonies also existed, but no evidence was found of any method by which these sorts of things were either found or obtained. This does not refute the theory, but does make one question where else these things were moved to. Until reference was made at the general locations of these ceremonies, in light of other religions that followed thereafter.

Many of the ceremonies revolved around the most ancient of legends. About the true path to Power. This is something that Humans have sought after since the original tales in Humanity. This tale lies most obviously in the Knowledge that it was the “Name of God” that was the reason Lilith had been able to overcome her banishment from the Garden. Analyzed further, what they spoke of was a formula, spoken in the language of the Ancients, a language Human vocal cords cannot begin to produce. For even as much as a sentence in this language speaks forth like a song, the depth and variance of the notes representing key points in language. By learning the appropriate combinations of notes, more than likely from overhearing the conversations of the Watcher guardians, Lilith had uncovered the means to their Power directly. By doing so, she was able to, “sprout wings, and fly away from the Garden,” to the cave where she was spoken of being next, prior to her joining with the Dark Father.

It was a want for this same measure of Immortal Power that drove Humanity to great feats. Mighty Pyramids were built in homage to this Power, in an attempt to recreate the energy necessary, they felt, to focus the Power so completely that such magic could be attained. For while the people already had great magic, they constantly strove for more. The joys and splendors they had amassed were not enough for them. The wealthy became filled with greed, beginning to take of the offerings to the Gods for themselves, stored away inside their erected pyramids. The people became slaves, forced to work on this constantly increasing number of “paid in full” pyramids. Humanity had become obsessed with the ability to buy their way into the Heavens, to pay for Paradise.

This became most obvious when the most vile of magics was attempted. The most terrible of the rich and powerful conversed, scheming for new ways to attain even greater power. Their whole basis of faith was that they were constructing these great towers to the sky to reach toward the Heavens, to open the Door, and to pass on into Paradise. In their collusion, the men came up with a scheme like no other. They immediately set to work, each sending out his servants to prepare all necessities. “This will be the greatest achievement in Human history,” they thought to themselves as they called in their spiritual advisors, the ones dealing in the strongest of magics. They asked them for all the proper runes for what they would need, a count which ranged in the tens of thousands. Each a separate inscription, hidden in a specific location, so as not to arouse too much suspicion. Each would have to be carefully done, and it’s placement known long before construction.

Time passed as the project became a reality. Everything they had learned about how to stretch the Pyramids further and further into the sky was used, until the Pyramid’s top rose beyond the sight of any that stood nearby. But this one was different. It was not meant for a burial, it was owned by no single King. This Tower was built with a flat peak, and stairs which led to the top. This had always been a method used in constructing the tops of these great Towers, but never befiore had the peak been left flat. It was believed that the peak of sight stood at the tip of the Pyramid, the link between Earth and the Heavens. But this one was designed with a different plan in mind.

On the eve of the Full Moon the ceremony began. Mages of a count never seen before chanted in unison their spells, each working a different piece of the overall spell. A massive energy was collected, with ignited all the runes hidden around the walls of the Tower. As the Tower became charged it focused upward, through the various mechanisms built to make this happen. At the peak stood the vile Men who had conceived this rotten plan, as well as the best mages of the entire lot. They began to chant as well, as the pure energy focused further and further upward, igniting the sky. This was what they sought, the Gateway into the Heavens. They refused to wait to live properly and earn their Paradise, they felt righteous in their quest to take it for themselves. As they saw past the Realms of Humanity, the mages had reached their goal. They had opened they way past the Earth, now Humans could go as they pleased.

Lightning slammed down upon the peak of the Tower. The force of it knocked many of the wicked off the edge, plummeting to their demise. As the rest turned to each other, to figure out what to do next, they realized their ears were not working properly. As they listened to the words of their comrades, it sounded like nothing ever spoken before. And as they cried back to end the joking that they might survive they were met with the same quizzical look. What had happened to them all? Why could they not communicate with each other? Most importantly in their minds, “How will I manage to live through this?”

Few managed to do so. The bolts continued to rain down from the sky. It split the rock everywhere it landed. Soon the Tower itself began to collapse, all the intricately carved stones crashing to the ground below. Most of the mages in attendance, as well as all at the peak, were made quite dead by the end of the assault. What few remained scattered far away from each other, for they knew what they had caused. In their evil and selfish will to steal Heaven before they had earned it, the Evil Eye of Men had been put out. No longer could they find the path to true Power, though often did they try. Many were able to retain shards of the Original Power, giving them magic of their own. But no matter the level of effort, no Human could ever reach the level of Power they had previously possessed, for it had already been proven to be abused. Thus for the second time, Humans had destroyed their purest of potentials with their rottenness.

Omen reached in his pocket, pulling out his wallet. From it he produced a 1 dollar bill. and quickly flipped it over. As is on all of these items, the picture of the Pyramid with the shining Eye at the top. Omen knew the symbol was used by many groups, both real and invented, as a source of identification for themselves. And the governments, or moreover those assigned to the creation and printing of money, had placed this same symbol on the back of every dollar in the country. But the symbol Omen realized referenced this same thing, the Human struggle to take Power for themselves rather than earn it through proper service and faith. Omen took careful note of these things, as it referenced people that would be opposed to their new “Tower” being struck down as well. Especially if that Tower was not made out of stone, nor meant to reach to the Heavens, but made out of digits and worthless paper with drawings on it. This was meant simply to take control of the entire populace, so that they might not ever lose their own Power. All the references suggest that these circles still know some of the oldest magics, and use them to influence things around the world. Whether or not that part was true in reality, or more a passing belief, was an unanswered question. For without speaking to those people, you would not know those answers. And those people will never reveal themselves publicly, for it would be at the cost of their life. This led them all to question the possible multitude of enemies they might face along the path to enlightening people.

Finally they all went to bed. Omen lay beside Blake in one bed, as Norm and Sara occupied the other. For the child a bed was made of blankets, pillows, and toys, that he might be as comfortable as possible. As Omen fell asleep, he heard noises in the bed next to them. Apparently their interaction earlier had not been enough for Norm, who wanted Round 2. As Omen heard the sounds of Sara cooing in agreement, he refused to stand for it. He exploded out of bed, putting on his clothes and storming out of the room. He went down to Sara’s car, and in the cold of November in Missouri he slept. This was much more comfortable, with no disturbances to block his rest. Omen decided that it was almost time for them to part ways, for him to return to Fenris’ house somehow.

10

Early the next morning, Omen was awakened by a knocking at the window. Outside was Sara, clothed warmly and wrapped in blankets. She climbed inside the driver’s seat and stared at Omen. She questioned him again about why he was so offended after their previous discussion. His response to her was that, while he had accepted them being together, this did not mean he wanted it thrown in his face as they had sex in the bed next to them. Sara countered that, asking Omen why it was any different than what had happened with him nights before as it pertained to Blake. Omen told her that the situation was only different because he had spoken out in offense against it, and thus out of respect they should at least keep it in private.

Then, Omen told Sara the time had come. He told her that while he enjoyed spending time with her son, and attempting to help him learn as was allowable, that following around a group of people while alone and pained by it was not going to work for him. He told her that, considering all that had happened with his ex-wife and Treya, he needed someone who would be there for him, not just expect of him. And obviously, based on her want for Norm, Sara was nowhere near that one. Omen told her that he neded to return to Tennessee, and continue working on finding the proper Lover to stand by his side.

Her eyes opened wide. “You’re…You’re gonna leave us?”

“Yes. There will be much less turmoil without me here. Im sure the three of you can figure out what to do next. Besides, my three days is almost up, and that was what was agreed to anyway.”

Tears seemed to well up in Sara’s eyes as she took in what Omen had said. He was going to leave, and take his connection to Abbadon with him. Considering how many things Sara had spoken of doing that involved Omen, this was a major flaw in the plan. She had forgotten that he could be gone just as easily as he had come, for expediting movement is the way in which you pass quickly from one road to another. She cried as she left the car, headed back to the room. Omen chose not to follow her, for it was the concern of her other to bring her comfort. He went back to sleep as much as he could, due to the rising sun agitating his eyes.

Omen awoke again. There was a message on his Facebook messenger from Sara. She wanted him to come upstairs, and said there was something everybody needed to discuss. Omen arrived in the room to see everyone with somber faces. He moved over and sat down in the chair in the corner of the room, facing the others.

Sara did all the talking. She told both Omen and Norm that, based on how things were at present, she could not evenly evaluate who was correct for her. She mentioned Omen’s recent jealous habits, as well his ease of temper. But she also spoke on Norm’s immaturity, his seeming lack of contribution, and his need to “step up”. She said that by her standards neither one was quite ready to be with her, but that she had a solution.

Sara told them that the answer lie in a “polygmaous relationship”. This meant that, as she explained it, sex was not viewed in such a strong light. This allowed all the participants to copulate freely without arguments about territory. Sara said she had experience in this sort of thing, and knew how it was meant to work. She also claimed intent to bring other females into the relationship that would follow the same rules, allowing more people to have someone at once, eliminating the factor of jealousy. But she also said that, in order for it to even have potential to work, it had to be agreed upon by everyone. And once agreed upon, the conditions had to be followed, and the arguments had to stop. Sara claimed to have feeling for the both of them, and said she was cracking from the stress. She began to cry, saying, “I don’t want to lose either of you, I just feel as if something will go wrong if I do”.

She asked what each had to say about their viewpoint. Norm spoke first. He talked about how his son’s mother had repeatedly cheated on him, and the damage it had caused. He spoke on his internal rage at the thought that anyone would even look at Sara with his knowledge. He claimed that he would be willing to stand up for her in battle, a challenge Omen dared him to accept. But Sara separated them before anything could happen. She demanded that they stop fighting amongst themselves because of their male egos and be reasonable. Blake tried to assist with her suggestion. After a while, Norm sat back down, followed by Omen doing the same with a grin. Norm finished his turn speaking highly of himself, and his ability to accept things he was not used to.

Omen went next. He spoke again on the constant trend in the group mindset. He stated that everything was being slighted, and that he would not tolerate it. Omen stated that, “Abbadon was of Justice. If expected to be like him I will demand the same. Any acts of unfairness of impropriety would be considered a threat to stability, and would immediately cause issues”. Omen swore that he would never be a part of this situation if it was not fair and balanced, and that Sara had to enforce that fairness. As the only female involved in the relationship, her time would be wanted by all. For the relationship to work, she would have to give of herself equally to them all. He also said, based on the cheatings of his ex-wife, and the betrayals of Treya, that he was not in a very good position to be allowant for much leeway in this area. He glared down at Norm as he said, “I would consider this, but if this one lets his ego and selfishness interfere with what is fair, you will not be able to stop the hammer of Justice from falling”. Norm seemed both ready to fight Omen and run from him at the same time, for it could be seen that Omen’s eyes held no fear.

Blake took his turn. He spoke on how childish both Norm and Omen were acting. He spoken on his experience with Sara in a relationship of this nature. He spoke on how kind she had been to him, letting him stay with her and her husband as he assisted in taking care of their son. He told them that he had once been in their position, raging out in his want for Sara to be his own. But he said over time the feeling had passed, that it had brought a peace to him. He told the other two that they held great potential in the future, but first their individual egos had to be stifled. He told Sara he would follow whichever decision she felt was best for their future.

Everyone sat for a moment, considering the viewpoints of the others. For this was a decision no one of them could make, it had to be agreeable for all. To not be so would completely destroy the original concept of the relationship, and trust would cease to exist. Without trust a constant rift would exist that prevented any form of mutual progress. These were all hazards in accepting such a relationship for themselves, as well attempting to bring enlightenment to a larger group of people. It would require focus, effort, and a selflessness that was uncommon in people. But in doing so, they believed they might have a chance to change things. To make life different, to effectively change the entire world for the better.

They agreed, all of them, to give the relationship a shot before judging it. That sat with each other and agreed to the conditions necessary for the relationship to maintain balance. After about an hour, Sara asked Blake and Norm to leave, that she and Omen might have time together. They lay together for a time, and Omen felt his spirits soar. It released the tension of so many months, finally allowing Omen’s male mind to be distracted from it for a time. He showed her body great love and care, to prove his dedication to her. Afterwards they rinsed in the shower, and were dressed and chatting when Blake and Norm returned.

Omen sat chatting with Blake as they prepared dinner. On the other side of the room, Sara and Norm sat conversing quietly to themselves. Soon they excused themselves and left the room. Omen gave Sara a kiss on the way out, which seemed to drive Norm out the door even faster.They left Blake and Omen alone in the room for quite some time. Omen used the time to discuss with Blake things referring to his training in massage of the hands and feet. Blake demonstrated this by doing them on Omen, while describing what he was doing and why. He explained the variety of pressure points in the hands and feet, which link all over the body through the network of nerves. After receiving a massage of each hand, the more sensitive and difficult of the two types, Omen returned the favor. He in turn massaged Blake’s hands, as he asked questions about his technique and strength of pressure.

Blake was surprised at Omen’s incredible capacity for fast learning. Omen explained simply that this had been the entirety of his life, something he considered a gift of the Father. Blake began to question Omen on the things he had learned in the past, that he might gain a further knowledge of his own. As they started talking seriously however, Sara and Norm returned. The air they brought with them was heavy, and hung over everyone in the room. They somberly sat down upon the bed. The look on Sara’s face was one of a sad acceptance. The look on Norm’s was angry and barely controlled.

The conversation was tense for a minute, but gradually returned to normal. They began to discuss what to do next, for staying at the hotel room was not feasible. Sara said she belonged in California, that was where she was being called. She said that from there she had connections that would allow her to obtain good work easily, drawing models for the gaming company Blizzard. She also said she had a friend who lived in that area, and might be able to help them find a place to live. But as they investigated this idea, it was found not to be time yet. For Sara had a custody hearing forced upon her by her husband, as he was trying to take his son back. So Sara would have to go to South Carolina more than once very soon, which made moving to California unfeasible at the moment. This left the group with a lack of good options for what to do in the period of time in between.

Suddenly, a spark of brilliance. Ever since the death of Fenris’ Grandpa, the house next door had sat pretty much abandoned. Omen explained the condition of the house to them, the lack of proper heat or clean areas. But Sara seemed convinced that the house could be cleaned out, then fixed up so that it could be used for temporary habitation. Sara said this was a great idea, as Fenris would not be lonely with them all around. But her intents spanned even further. She wanted to use the land owned by Fenris’ family for generations to build a building. This would begin as their dwelling, but was meant to expand to include a school of magic.

The School was something they all agreed needed built. The education of Humans in this day and age is a process of repeated limitations, forced and reinforced into the minds of the students. This process continually forces the mind into understanding only those facts given, allowing little room for individual expansion. Also, with most religious documents kept from children until long after the child’s mind has developed, generations are forced into a single viewpoint that few manage to expand past. This keeps the majority under calm control, but dulls the intelligence of the majority. The point of the Magic School was a place where learning could be done on every level, not just those acceptable by society. In addition to studies on the basic principles of math, science, and history, they intended massive study dedicated to the principles upon which magic was based.

Three of them had already proven to make good instructors in their own areas. Blake was found to be the most knowledgeable in matters of basic magic principles, shielding, and the calming of the mind. Sara had massive talent at the process by which one finds their center, refocuses it towards the proper frame of mind, and the grounding out of all the vile nonsense that possesses the mind and heart. And Omen was told that he would be their resident “Destruction Mage”, as he had well learned the most terrible of magics, but also how to properly manage their use. Due to his inexperience, Norm himself had little but raw potential to offer the group. But as conversations went on that evening, Omen noticed a trend.

In and between their general discussions, Norm stayed consistently close to Sara. He spent most of his time whispering in her ear, words Omen assumed were simple vocalizations of affection. But upon closer observation, each time he spoke Sara soon followed with a new adaptation of their ideas. These adaptations began to “insert” Norm into important positions throughout. She wanted him as her co-artist on the graphic novel. She believed his input would play the greatest role in the facts surrounding the story. She also believed that Norm was the closest to “purely channeling his associated spirit”, and that this put him in a very important role. Sara spent the rest of the evening praising Norm’s potential, as Omen tried to focus on the necessities for progress. He hoped in time they would stop criticizing him and see how much he had to offer. But for now he was content to watch the situation, and find the source of the problems.

The next day they packed up and left. This happened almost immediately after the realization that Norm was in some sort of legal bind, as he was worried about his girlfriend calling the police on him. From his words he may have had a warrant out for his arrest, and thus he needed to leave quickly. Sara, upon hearing that Norm might be taken from her, made the decision to pack quickly and be gone to Tennessee, far away from the officers in Missouri. As she had expected, Fenris happily welcomed the group of them into his home, as well he accepted the idea proposed. They would all work to clean out the house next door. Once complete Sara, Blake, Norm, and Sara’s son could all stay in the house. Omen would remain in the same room inside the trailer, as would Fenris. But once they arrived in Tennessee, Omen was quick to remind them that there were limits to his kindness.

The house was in terrible disrepair, it would take weeks just to clean out the garbage and filth. In the meantime, people had to have places to sleep. At first Omen watched as a sly whispering between the two became a sweet request from Sara to allow her and Norm to sleep in Omen’s room on certain evenings. This was vehemently denied, as Omen told them his sheets were no place for their sexual exploits. He explained that they had all been very stingy with what they called their “personal items”, and now Omen had rights to do the same. He warned them that access to his room was by invitation only, and remaining meant following Omen’s rules. This meant Omen kept control over both his television and laptop, for they were not to leave his room. He willingly allowed others to use his things for a time, but when they abused their rights Omen made them leave.

Sara seemed agitated as the days went on. Maybe this was because of Omen’s rules around the house. Maybe it was because Omen had become the dominant force in the household, organizing and planning each day’s work and activities. Maybe it was because Omen constantly outperformed Norm in every task that the two undertook, from physical activities to work. But on the nights in which Sara would sleep in Omen’s room with him, she seemed upset. She hid herself away, refusing to give herself to him. But those same nights, once she thought Omen had fallen asleep, she snuck out into the living room. She went to the couch where Norm slept, and their they would have sex with one another. Omen had been able to see this for himself, as well he was informed of the noise made by Fenris. This added to Omen’s frustration, and before long he had Sara sleep on her own end of the house.

During each day the group spent analyzing the situation, searching for the source of the complications. Because all had claimed the same form of “mental cloudiness” from time to time. Usually these occurrences led to large arguments inside the home. This caused serious rifts between everyone residing there, as such it had to be remedied quickly. This led to many difficult evaluations of things they thought they knew, and a reconstructing of belief. Because the more of the Demons they found around them, the more were found to be hazardous. They strove to find new ways to fix this problem, to seek the pure Truth they were after.

One evening, Fenris and Norm were arguing with one another in jest about a video game they were playing. The playful arguing turned swiftly into male posturing, as Norm felt necessart to begin talking about his fight training attempting to impress Fenris. This did the opposite, giving the wolf a challenge to face, which he had not for quite some time. But before they could have swings at one another, Omen had another idea. He took them all outside, even Sara was present. Omen played referee in a match pitting Fenris against Norm. This was a form of combat wrestling, and no punching or kicking was allowable. The two rolled around for several minutes. Norm rolled Fenris over onto his back. At the same time Fenris grunted harshly, noting that he had been injured. Soon after he submitted, and sulked back into the house, still clutching his side.

Norm strutted around, gloating about defeating Fenris. He called Sara over to celebrate, kissing her passionately. It seemed that Norm was going to have yet another evening where he was going to brag about being the best fighter in the house. But before Norm could saunter inside, Omen stopped him by calling his name.

“So, you seem very confident in yourself. Are you ready for a match with the champ?”

Omen knew what he was doing. The ego inside Norm had been seen every time Norm was presented with any opportunity to posture in front of Sara. Omen could see that this was done so she would forget that he was putting in the least amount of effort, and showed the least amount of magical understanding. After his easy victory over Fenris, he knew Norm’s perception of his abilities was way too high. He aslo was aware that he had a few tricks up his sleeve.

It didn’t take long for Omen to convince Norm to a match. Especially once Sara joined in, excited to see the two strongest of her men go toe to toe in competition. The tension for male dominance was always high betwen Omen and Norm, and Sara agreed that the match was a good way to release their need to prove dominance without actual confrontation. Omen allowed Norm a break, and they shared a cigarette. He warned Norm not to let his guard down, for the second round would be much harder than the first. Norm simply stated that he needed to worry about nothing, that he would prove Omen to fall just as easily. Once they had enjoyed some rest time they prepared for the match, naming Sara the referee.

The match began. Omen calmly walked in a circle around Norm, demanding that he make the first move. Norm barreled forward, attempting to knock Omen over. But Omen used Norm’s momentum to swing him sideways, ending him up on the ground. Omen chuckled as Norm got back to his feet, even making a point to toss a quick joke at him. This caused Norm to stand up with anger in his eyes. He did not appreciate his ego being poked at, Omen could see his rage had grown. But this was exactly as Omen had expected.

Nick came in at Omen again, this time attempting to use his anger to force Omen off balance. But as he came in with his rage Omen tapped into the power, and slowly began draining his energy. Over the next few minutes Omen playfully tossed Norm to the ground, and held him down on the ground. He spent his time letting Norm struggle as he repeatedly spoke about how easy the fight was, and how simply Norm was being beaten. Norm’s ire continued to grow, but this only gave Omen more energy to feed off. Soon Norm was weak, easily forced into being chocked by Omen. As his hands wrapped around Norm’s throat, Omen stared death into his opponent’s eyes. He tried to fight Omen’s hands apart, but it was no use. He began to gurgle and choke, as the breath of life was being taken from him. His eyes began to roll back into his head as Sara rushed forward, demanding that Omen stop. Omen saw Norm’s death approaching. Inside it he could see an end to the arguments, a way to have Sara to himself forever.

Omen released his grip on Norm. He stood and walked away from him, as Sara rushed in to make sure he was okay. He walked away from them all for a second. Inside Omen’s mind, he was still controlling what he had felt. It had been terrible, something he had not felt in many years. It was the same pure Hatred he had felt long ago in his youth, long before Omen had learned of the Father. Even then, the young child was known to Hate the entirety of Humanity, and wished to see its’ destruction. This had changed much over the years, and Omen thought himself free of it. But in that moment, as Norm lie near death on the ground, it had returned. Omen had felt it’s desire to destroy the thing Omen felt had offended him. It had almost taken full control of him, Omen had almost killed someone he claimed to want as a friend. But he had overcome the feeling, and maintained his own honor.

After stabilizing his mind, Omen rejoined the others. Norm was angrily brooding about the loss. Now it was Omen’s turn to brag and boast as Norm had done. Surprisingly, the reactions were different. For while when Norm had been bragging about his victory Sara was all over him, now she sat next to the same warrior that had fallen. She did not seem to like Omen’s prodding at Norm, reminding him of how easily he was beaten. Omen even ensured to explain to Norm why he had lost, that his energy had been drained due to his lack of proper shielding. Omen made Norm feel like he had never been trained in fighting at all, making a point to stop and point out each of his individual failures. But as he did so he also made mention of what Norm should do differently next time. He explained that his words were not meant to hurt or upset Norm, only to force him to see his mistakes, that he might learn from them. Sara chimed in, admitting that she had watched Omen’s actions during the battle. Norm hung his head as he walked off alone to deal with his anger. Omen ignored his temper tantrum, and went back inside.

Several minutes later, Norm came inside moaning in pain. In his rage at having been so easily defeated, Norm had struck a large piece of plywood next door. But the wood seemed to have more strength than his hand, as one finger had obviously been broken. The others helped Norm disinfect and wrap his hand, then they all sat together in Omen’s bedroom. They criticized Norm for allowing his rage to overtake him. Omen did so especially, stating that, “if I had done the same during our match, you would not be alive right now”. This statement brought a look of shock to them all.

Sara shuddered. “You were going to kill him?”

Omen stared directly at her. “During our match, yes, it was considered. But the thoughts were not my own, I had to combat them. Something definitely tried to assist me in killing poor Norm here. And I’m guessing Samael isn’t exactly pleased that his channel was torn down like a child, and thus he was not able to control his own rage. Now he has a hand that is broken, a permanent reminder of his failure. Sounds like the kind of lessons they teach, from my experience.”

Sara nodded. “Omen is right. These guys can be dicks sometimes, but the things they do they have reason for. If Samael and Abbadon decided there were lessons that needed taught, they would do so without your agreement. Norm, you have to train more. You were drained far too easily, which would be potentially fatal to you in magical battles. We will have to train more with each other on this in the future, so we can all become stronger.”

That night, Omen came out of the shower, preparing to go to sleep. Sara was found to be splayed out across Omen’s bed, happily typing away at his computer. Omen told her to put the laptop down. Sara argued at first, but under Omen’s stone gaze she changed her mind. Omen paced around the room as he spoke.

“You know, I have worked very hard in the name of this relationship. But you it seems have seen none of this. I have heard your words that Norm is considered first, more important to you than myself or Blake. While this is an acceptable personal choice, the levels to which you have taken it have gone too far. You tell me it is dangerous for us to have any form of physical relation, because Norm will react harshly to it. But you seem to keep no concern for my feelings. You allow yourself to coddle Norm like a child as you stab me in the heart. Well, tonight has proved one thing to me. Regardless of what you think in your own mind, Norm cannot and will not be considered my leader, or my better. He is weak, frail, and I could easily have killed him off tonight. I chose not to do so simply that you would not be hurt at his loss, for I knew this would pain you. But this game is over Sara. You want to continue working towards a fair relationship, you let me know. But since now you seem not to want that, begone from my sight. You have lost your right to be in my room, go sleep with the one you sneak to each night and fuck.”

Sara’s eyes grew wide. Omen had not stood up to her this forcefully since Missouri. She began to cry, and soon after Norm tried to rush in the room. Omen told Norm to get out, he was not wanted in the discussion. When he tried to argue he was forced out the door, and it was shut behind him. Omen had taken a form of dominance over them all, as now he held the total upper hand. Now, with all the things owned by Omen in jeopardy of being lost to use, suddenly his value became higher. Omen was quite aware of this from the beginning, as he had warned Sara of it over a week before. Norm had nothing to offer, and in constantly choosing Norm’s opinion over his, Omen was set for some good old fashioned revenge. By negating their rights to use his laptop and cell phone, things they did not have, Sara and the others would be completely cut off from the outside world. Omen hated to do this, but the girl still had refused to learn that Omen demanded fairness and decency from them.

Omen picked Sara up off the bed, her eyes full of tears, and prepared to eject her as well. She clutched onto his arm bawling. “Please don’t do this Omen. I can’t do this without you. You have the natural leadership qualities necessary. Without you, the other two have no focus or direction. It is you that gets them up each morning and gets work done. Please, don’t push me away from you. I care about you, I don’t want to lose you.”

He stared down at her and smiled. “Then you go put your pretty little mongrel out there in place. I am tired of playing second fiddle to someone that can’t hold a candle to me in any way. But your addiction to his will disgusts me. One whisper from Samael, and you turn on us. I am not Blake, I will not stand by for such injustice.” He pried Sara’s grip off his arm. “Go tell him that I have as much right to your time and your body as he does. And tell him if he continues to act selfishly towards me, I will eject him from this property. Fenris only let you stay because I asked him to, he will see you removed just as easily. And if he resists? Well, I’d say that a person with warrants shouldn’t put himself into a situation where the police will be called here, such as they would be when I eject him. Then you can visit your precious Norm in jail, and learn how serious I am when I speak.”

Norm was outside the door, listening to Omen’s words. He immediately became enraged, wanting to come for Omen. But Sara and Blake pulled Norm outside. Omen stayed inside with Fenris, who asked him what had caused the altercation. Omen told his friend the truth, that Sara was being unfair, and Omen was tired of it. He told Fenris that Norm might have to go, and Fenris agreed. If Norm could not control his ego enough to act like a rational adult rather than a spoiled child, they would all be better off without him. They waited as the others remained outside, obviously having a similar discussion with Norm. The difference was he was an invited guest, and that invitation could be quickly taken back. After some time Omen went back to his room, and Fenris went back to his gaming. Omen decided to do the same, popping in Skyrim so he could relax.

It wasn’t terribly long before Sara entered Omen’s room. She had been crying, but her tears had dried. She walked over and knelt down next to the bed, stretching her arms out toward Omen.

“Please, don’t send Norm away. I admit that I have been unfair, but he should not be punished for this. Please, accept my apology, allow me to show you how beautifully we can all get along once the childish jealousy stops. I promise you, I am working on his jealous issues. It will not be much longer before he breaks free from all the damage of his past, and can act more adult as it pertains to this relationship. I told him that we all agreed to the relationship, he has no right to act sour about it now. Please Omen, act like the mature one here. You make such decisions much easier, this is why you are easily compatible with Abbadon. Samael by nature is sly and sneaky, and has a large ego about himself. It is these traits that Norm has as well that allow Samael to flow through him. You knew this already, why do you continue to judge it?”

“Because nothing has changed. I have told you the same thing over and over, yet you have done nothing about it.”

“I told you that Norm was my first, and you accepted that. I go to him first for this reason.”

“Yes. However, this does not give you rights to hide yourself from me just because his appetite is insatiable, and you feel dirty having relations with both in one day. You may choose him first, but that does not mean you will be able to choose his best interests above all others. You can beg and plead all you want, but this is not allowable. There will be no more arguments about this inside this house. The next time I have to go through this childish nonsense, Norm will be sent to the street. And if you and Blake have an issue with it, you may happily join him.”

Sara bowed her head, resting it on Omen’s thigh. “No, I don’t want this all to end before it has a chance to begin. I am already looking for someone to bring in to the relationship, a female that would happily be with all of you as much as myself. This will both stop the jealousy, and make it so that more than one of you can be satisfied in a day. Don’t give up on us yet Omen, you have my word that these issues will stop. If not, I will get rid of Norm myself, so we can focus on the future.”

Omen thought about what Sara had said. He had heard similar things before. As such, Sara showed a pattern of not following through with her words. So Omen spoke a spell inside his mind, which passed through the bond the two shared and into her. The spell was an energetic contract, based on what Sara had just said. She would get what she wanted, and Omen would give them all one more chance to fully prove themselves. But if she continued the same, if she repeated the same mistakes again, she would break the contract. The energetic terms of the contract were simple. If Sara was to break her word again, and prove unworthy, the energy would then pass into her. Once inside it would corrupt and destroy everything she held dear, until she was forced to understand the depth of her failure. Omen prayed this spell to the Father in his mind. He felt Abbadon’s agreement with the terms, they were deemed completely fair. This would be Sara’s last chance to prove herself. But Abbadon also told Omen inside his mind that he must allow himself to accept more abuse this time than before. Abaddon wanted to see for himself whether or not the Human that channeled Sarafiel deserved to or not.

Omen leaned down and picked Sara’s head up off his leg. He leaned in and kissed her. She returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck. She thanked Omen for his patience and adult decision-making skills. She said this was why Omen had to be the one that stood over the other two, for he had the sort of dominating personality that males are forced to respond to. Omen told her to go inform the others of his decision. She left the room, returning several minutes later.

“Norm wants to speak with you in private.”

“Fine. Tell him I’ll be out in a second.” As Sara left the room, Omen put on his coat and shoes. He reached behind his bed, pulling out a secret weapon. A gift from Fenris, the metal knuckles were quite large. It had a large base, made for comfortably gripping with the palm of the hand. The metal came up to rounded tips between each finger. The metal of which the knuckles was made had already been proven to easily crack wood, by Omen’s previous testing. Omen swore if Norm disrespected him again, it would not be homelessness that he would be concerned with.

They walked outside alone. Norm, to Omen’s surprise, looked extremely dejected. He spoke softly, his words carefully chosen so as not to offend. He apologized for acting like a child. He talked about how hard it was for him to think about Omen being better than he was to Sara. He hated the fact that Omen channeled the father of Sara’s child, and thus had a closer relationship with the boy. He said he acted jealous because he saw Omen as a major threat, that he assumed Omen would steal all her time away. He said he couldn’t stand the thought of being away from Sara, or not being a part of their mission. He promised as well that he would be capable of change, he simply asked Omen for patience. As he spoke, Omen forced a similar energetic contract into Norm. He would not allow these betrayals to continue, even if the energy destroyed them internally. But he smiled as the contract was sealed with the handshake he and Norm shared at the end of their conversation. Omen smiled because he felt akin to the nature of the Father, Who accepts deals offered to Him for the eternal souls of Humanity.

11

Over the next few days, the overall situation improved drastically. Norm finally began to get over his jealous viewpoint of Omen. Even such that he began asking Omen to wake him up early to do Physical Training. Omen agreed, and put Norm through some of the rigors he had endured during his time in the Army. This effort seemed to strengthen the bond between the two, as they smiled and joked with one another. Afterward, the two would progress over to the house next door, and continue the process of emptying it out. As they did so they found out exactly how dilapidated the house was . The two did their best each day until the sun went down, tossing out loads of various junk. No one in the family had wanted anything to do with the items, based on their level of filth. Thus the majority of items acquired throughout the life of Fenris’ Grandpa were thrown out of the house, to make room for Sara to live.

At random intervals during the day, Sara would come over to check on the progress. But her presence usually caused more harm than good, as the distraction she caused slowed the work. But Omen let her remain anyway, for the days had been much more peaceful. They happily discussed things of many natures as the men worked. Sara made a point to select several objects from the home that she liked, and removed them for herself. Omen assumed she had asked Fenris’ permission to do so, since he seemed to care nothing for any of the items in the house.

One of the things they discussed quite frequently was an idea Sara had. She had decided that Fenris, whose family owned a large plot of land in that area, could sell her some of the land on her word to pay it back, or gift it to her if he chose. Her intent was to build a large new building. The building was intended both as a home and a school of magic, the thing they had talked about doing. Sara said that, as long as Fenris was willing, she was sure she could find a way to finance the construction. She boasted that soon her fame from drawing for Blizzard would bring in enough money that these things were accomplishable easily.

But things began to degenerate again. But this time, the issue lie between Sara and Fenris. For Sara was quite used to the three men coming to agreements with her on most things, if for no other reason than to pacify her. But Fenris was a wolf in his own den, and did not follow the same standards. He would very directly tell Sara how he felt about her actions, and the way she treated the people she cared about. While usually very calm and friendly, due to Sara’s attitude at times the beast inside Fenris raged out. But usually, the patient wolf would leave his own home, and go outside for a run to calm his mind. For in the light of the moon, the wolf enjoyed his right to run free through the fields. As he did so, Omen also too some time to go out into the night and pray. Omen felt something as he did, though he could not place an exact feeling on what it was.

Many spirits had seemed to interact with the group lately. But Sara had convinced everyone that most of the spirits surrounding them intended harm to “their goals”. As such she demanded that many of the spirits be disassociated with, so that they could hear only the voices they wished to. In this madness, Sara convinced Omen that Belial was against them. That he was channeling through the pendant Omen wore, due to how long they had been bonded. Sara told Omen that the only way he could be free of it, and stay a part of their group, was to take the pendant off his neck and cast it out into the woods. Omen was unsure of what to do, but he did not want to hurt his friends. He definitely did not want to let Abbadon down. And so, with a heavy heart and tears in his eyes, Omen cast the Baphomet he had worn for so long out of his sight forever. It did not fly far however, and Sara said she would cast it out further, and ensure it was done.

Late that evening, as Omen lay down to bed, he heard a fight erupt in the front room. He heard Sara screaming at the top of her lungs. He went out to investigate. To his surprise, Sara was screaming at Fenris. Fenris, who was on his day off, was up late as usual playing video games. Blake and Norm had actually played Guitar Hero along with him. But as Fenris continued on, showing his skills at the Expert level, Sara came out yelling about the volume. She claimed that her son was trying to sleep, and the volume was bothering him. This stood contrary to the facts, as the child was in the room asleep. But Sara continued to holler and scream about how disrespectful Fenris was being.

Fenris had said he would be happy to be part of a team, but refused to be pushed around. He began to yell back, reminding Sara whose home they stayed in. This sent them both into a fit, as they argued over whose point was more valid. Omen and Blake rushed in to break up the argument, separating the two. But as Omen pulled Sara back into his room, she had made a decision. It was time to leave, they would not stay with Fenris anymore. She said that she had been considering this necessity for some time, and that this had been the final straw. She told Blake and Norm to begin packing their things. They complied without hesitation, moving to pick up the things that belonged to them.

Omen walked back into his room. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He paced back and forth, unsure of what to do. He kept searching for some method by which he could cause this fight to end, and bring peace back to the house. But when Sara came back to the room, those thoughts were proven a dream. Sara asked Omen what he would do. She told him she would understand if he chose to stay. But she also reminded Omen that he had promised to work for the goals that everyone wanted to accomplish. She told him it would be quite hard to assist them from so far away. Sara also brought up the fact that Omen had claimed love, and promised himself to her. She said that she had given him her body and her heart, and she would feel both had been given in vain if he abandoned her now. She also suggested that, if she left, Abbadon would seek someone closer to her son to bond with, leaving Omen alone. She grabbed some of her things, and left Omen to think about his decision.

Omen’s mind was fuzzy. He couldn’t concentrate on any single subject, a trait highly unusual for him. But he kept trying to analyze his options to make a rational decision, but it was almost as if his mind had been affected in some way to prevent it. All Omen could feel was the swirl of emotions that told him he wanted to be with Sara, and to help her achieve her goals. Omen could not avoid the feeling, it was the only thing that seemed to prevail his mind. Omen tried to fight past the feeling, but was totally unable to. He felt he would not survive for long unless he forced himself to move forward with them.

Omen decided, and told Sara what he would do. He also began packing up all the things that belonged to him. Fenris told Omen he would happily store his things, but Sara told Omen his things would be safer in storage, due to issues with the lock on the trailer door, as well as the many hours Fenris was at work. She convinced Omen to take everything that he had bought, even the pots and pans he had pirchased when he first moved in. Even items of food she said they would need, and Omen needed to ensure were taken for them. Omen, Norm, and Blake worked tirelessly to pack up everything they needed to. They all went to sleep that evening in sadness, for the day had been filled with misery and Hatred. The end result had caused a rift inside a family, and now the group would set out on the road towards the unknown.

The next morning everyone rose early. They went and acquired a U-Haul, bringing it back to the trailer. They loaded up all the things they would not actively need into the truck. Their clothing and necessities they loaded into the car, ensuring everything would fit. The car was packed full to the brim. There were 5 people, including the child, inside the car. The back of the small window was packed to the ceiling with bags and various items of need, so much so that the back window could not be seen through. Omen jumped inside the cab of the U-Haul, and Norm came to join him. They had discussed this, feeling that they would learn to enjoy each others’ company more if they shared in things they both enjoyed. Sara and Blake followed behind in her car as they drove down the road to Jackson.

The went to the place where the U-Haul had been rented. There Omen rented a storage unit, where all the items from the truck were packed. Once finished the truck was returned, and as the sun set the five of them were on the road again. The road was frought with the same perils that Omen encountered the previous two trips. This seemed to be worse than before, as more and move large vehicles swerved to strike Omen. He had learned to feel outward, to sense the weakness in some people that was being exploited. This provided Omen an advantage on the road, for he could feel the accidents before they happened, and could prevent them. His driving was relied upon heavily, and this gave Omen something to challenge himself. For Omen learned to push himself long past the limits of exhaustion, past the point where his eyes grew heavy. Omen learned to use his energy to force his mind and body to function longer without shutting down, while still retaining his reaction times on the road.

After many hours, they arrived at their destination. They were in the state of South Carolina. They had come because Sara’s husband was demanding the right to see his son, something that Omen had to at least respect. For having no real interaction with his own father in his youth, Omen understood the damage this causes a child. As such, he was happy that the child’s father wanted to see him. But Sara was not so happy once they arrived, for she knew this meant her son would be away from her for a time. Omen stayed outside in the car, even leaving to run an errand so as not to loiter in his driveway. For Omen knew that this man was the one Sara had asked Omen to replace in her son’s life, and upon seeing him Omen was not as comfortable with the idea.

His name was Gary. He stood about as tall as Omen, with only a slightly smaller build. He had shortly cropped dark hair, and by glancing into his eyes Omen recognized the energy that he possessed. But as he made a point to take his son and play with him, happy to be reunited after the long time in between, Omen questioned how much of what Sara had said was true. Omen did not see the abuser in his eyes that Sara claimed him to be, but he also knew not to judge things simply by their appearance. Omen decided to save his judgments, for it was not his place to do so. He smiled as he waved goodbye to the child he had helped watch over for weeks now, hoping that he would be happy.

In a couple weeks, Sara had a court date. This was a hearing about the custody of the child, for his father wanted him back. They were all contacted by a lawyer who represented Gary. The lawyer, by his words and actions, was looking to use any method necessary to influence opinion about the safety of the child. The lawyer had the audacity to go on to Omen’s Facebook page, copy a picture taken long before Sara and Omen had even met, and say it created an issue of safety for the child. The picture was one taken at Chase’s house, of his young son holding a samurai sword. But the lawyer tried to say that these pictures, along with Omen’s very direct vocalization of his faith, held a threat to the child’s well being. Omen growled under his breath as these vile insults were hurled at them all, but he maintained his composure. He knew that falling for the trap, and becoming forceful with the lawyer, would only give him evidence to support his claim that they were unfit for the child. As such Omen remained patient, to see how the situation would unfold.

Sadly, Sara’s aggravation at the loss of her son was directed at Omen. She blamed him for all her troubles, because of his vehement statements of faith online. Omen asked her how she could possibly be upset at him for the same thing they all believed. She responded that, “doesn’t mean you have to flaunt your faith everywhere”. This hurt Omen internally, as Sara had been the one that said they would have to work hard to support the Father to the masses, whose minds are trained to think of Him as rotten and evil. But Omen let it pass, considering it her way of releasing the pain she felt with her son gone. But he was hurt worse after, without even an apology for her hatefulness, she snuggled up next to Norm and went to sleep, still whispering about how mad she was at Omen.

After only two days in the shady motel in which they stayed had passe, the decision was made to leave. Sara said that they had to move, that the energy in this place was constricting her. Omen felt constricted as well, but this was more a function of the treatment he was receiving. As the group attempted to delve further into their research, seeking more answers to their intended goal, Omen’s views and opinions were treated as the least important of any spoken. But what they were looking into was of great importance, from the feeling they all got. They drove to Tennessee, but it was not the same region where Fenris lived. This city seemed built for tourism, but they came during the off-season. No jobs seemed to be available, and it didn’t seem like staying was going to work out in the long term. But as they spent the time in between there, awaiting Sara’s court date, they continued to expand on the concepts they had all agreed needed to be focused on if any semblance of real Truth was to be found.

It started with the realization that pictures existed online of a galaxy far away from our own. A galaxy in which they say that stars are created, where life is born into the universe. But the photos of this region provide a shocking picture once analyzed with spiritual insights as well as physical ones. For the visual reference is clear, an old man seems to be doing battle with a dragon. All agreed that this represented a battle that existed for Ages. But this battle was not between the “God” and “Satan” of Christianity. The old man represented the King of Humanity, who had grown weary through all the ages of Human reproduction. It was understood that the reason why this condition would exist was simple. If energy is taken from one thing, and placed into another container, creating an entirely new thing, then a portion of the original energy was destroyed to create it. Taking into account how many Humans have been made through this energetic process, it would be understood that there would be a significant decay in the original energy. This would create a process similar to Human aging, as the energy slowly is sapped away.

Opposing this aging man is what appears from all accounts to look as a dragon does. But what is this thing locked in combat with the man? What is the reason? And why would this interaction cause more stars and other forms of life to be Created in the process?

It was obvious that the bing referenced was not the Satan of Christian lore. For in all Omen’s interaction with Him, as well as the rest of the group, the Father never seemed to look or feel the way this entity’s picture did. The picture to look at brought a feeling of sheer horror and dread to all 4 of them, thus they had to dig deeper. They looked for clues in the texts and tomes of religions. They found in ancient Sumeria references to the “Father” of the beings that ruled over the Earth. This Father had birthed two Brothers, both equally born of His Power. No reference spoke more on anything further back in understanding than the Original. It was spoke of as the “level above” the others, but little was made in reference to this Being’s interaction with Humanity. But all the Gods lower were spoken of regularly as to having a multitude of interactions with Humans. What would cause this to be, where there was one God that had no reason to interact with Humans?

All the stories speak of the Gods’ “passage through the stars”. But taking this into a more scientific consideration, this could be the way the ancient people’s understood the technology necessary to travel past the furthest known star. If this is taken into account, as many have done before, this would mean that many traveled together. If one was mentioned, but not prevalent, would this mean that they were not “present” on the trip? And if this be that case, what would be the reason for such an action, if the Creation of Humanity was so important?

They had been discussing this for quite some time. This had always been the point at which the group of them got stuck, for there wasn’t a written, definable answer. They had discussed several options, but none seemed to fit. Omen got up and made them all drinks as the others continued looking further into the picture for more details. They began to see various things that they interpreted a variety of ways, attributing to the names of various Beings that they knew. Omen handed each their drink, then returned to the chair he was seated on, and placed his drink on a napkin on the desk next to him. He continued to listen as they discussed what they were seeing inside the photo, and what they believed it meant. But Omen’s focus remained on the unanswered question. He didn’t want to focus on more until he had solved one thing. Frustrated, he took a sip of his drink, wiping the moisture from the glass.

Omen looked down onto the desk. The napkin sitting there was wet from the condensation of the ice in the glass as it melted. Omen saw small notes that he had jotted down about other things, things that he already had well in his mind. The wetness had caused the thick ink to run, turning the once readable notes into smudges that ran together. Omen continued to stare at the napkin for a second, and focused his thoughts intently. Immediately he jumped out of his chair, and walked to the other side of the room. He fished through the bag where Sara kept her art supplies, and pulled out several items. This caused Sara to want to get upset, as Omen was not an artist, and the items in the bag had great value in the creation of art. But Omen told her to wait, he was working on something.

Omen sat down at the desk. He placed down the paper, and took a pencil in his right hand. First, he scribbled down some basic numbers. Then, he took a black colored pencil. He drew a circle, filling it in with black. Then, he drew lines, like waves, out from the circle. On the opposite side of the paper, he drew a circle of pure white. He drew the same waves out from the circle toward the center of the paper. He set the pencils down, staring into what he had made. The waves he had drawn across the paper intersected in various shades of grey in the center of the paper. Omen picked up the pencil again, drawing a large circle in the center. This circle he marked as Earth, and the lines criss-crossed through the circle in almost every place.

Omen picked up the paper and stood up. He grabbed his phone and headphones and went outside. The others had paid him little attention, other than try to distract him with all the things they believed they had uncovered. But Omen was told to go outside, and told to take the drawing he had made with him. He went and found a place outside the hotel to think on what he had drawn, but as well to expand beyond the drawing with his sight. As he stared he considered an event that is spoken of, but of which there is no written full record. The Creation of Humanity. But not in the context of a single religion that had been written, nor in a perspective of “good” or “bad. For those are definitions placed by people, and flawed by every lack of Human understanding. So Omen tried simply to ask himself simple questions, and come to reasonable conclusions. But he maintained the Creationary perspective on things, for with his experiences he knew this to be a fact.

The next logical question, if Creation is a fact, was the reasons for doing such. Omen sat and considered the many theories behind this. But none seemed to fit properly. The theory that we were made as slaves seemed to have alot of following. But the hole in this theory lie in the admittance to Humanity being Created with Free Will, the right to choose their own actions. This made no sense because any Being capable of this level of Creation would also understand the problems associated with having slaves who choose for themselves. As such, something Created simply as a slave would not have the ability to understand the “right” or “wrong” in their actions, they would simply follow them without question. So this gave credibility to the theory that Humanity was Created for a larger purpose. This led back to the original question, what was the purpose?

Everywhere Omen had looked for this answer throughout his research, he had not even found a clear or complete reference. The only mention made for any reasoning as to the nature of Creation were the references to similarities to the Creators. The most well-known of these references is Humanity’s being made in the “image” of their Creators. So Omen decided to chase this theory, and see if this could lead him toward the answer to his original question. But what would this even begin to define? The general assumption was that this referred to the physical appearance of Humans, or their general physical construction. The assumptions lie in everything from the shape of the Human body to the simple concept of Free Will itself. But none seemed to be a full explanation of any kind. For the physical appearance is only as definable throughout history as Men have allowed it to be. As seen in almost every example throughout the religions of history, the Gods have been depicted in a variety of ways. Even pictures referencing the same “Godform” inside the same religion had major differences that could be seen. This meant that the similarity could not exist in the physical, as the Gods themselves were not assuredly of a similar form to Humans. So Omen threw out this theory, and continued to think on the subject.

The next theory, the one that seemed to hold the most weight, was the reference to the Free Will of Humanity. In many types of lore throughout history, this was referred to as a “special gift” given by the Gods. Most of the tales of other races speak on their function as servants, who seemed more to follow orders than to choose for themselves. The stories say that other races of beings were Created first. All accounts of these Old Beings describe them as immensely powerful, and seemingly ageless. These Beings, even classified as minor Gods in their own right by some, seemed to be more than capable of serving every need and function of Existence. But if that is the case, then the Gods had no need for us at all. If on their own they were capable of completing any task, and fulfilling any need they might have, then Creating something as fragile and short-lived as Humans would make no sense amongst a sea of Immortal Beings. So the need for something of this nature must have a more important reason than servitude, especially if born with the right to choose for themselves. Omen continued to search for the reason for why a short-lived thing with the ability to choose for itself would be made if so many other Beings already existed.

One night as Omen slept, after yet another argument with Sara over his inability to “fit in” with the group, which as usual stemmed from arguments between Omen and Sara over why she spent each day and night in Norm’s arms, he had a dream. In the dream, Omen was floating inside what seemed to be a void of nothingness. He saw a giant ball of energy floating above him. The orb swirled every which way with a chaotic energy. The energy swirled and grew as it seemed to collapse in on itself. Then it exploded outward, the shockwave seeming to stretch on for Eternity. Once everything had settled Omen saw two orbs hovering in the air. The orbs were shaped differently than than the original had been. Omen saw that energy seemed to pour out from one orb, and the other seemed to be drawing that energy in. Omen forced himself to float closer to the orbs, to examine more in depth what he was seeing.

The orbs seemed to be generally the same in size of energy, but also seemed to oppose one another. The draw coming from one end seemed so strong that it might draw in the entirety of the other orb. But then the orbs drew to close to one another. As the purest edges of their energies met they exploded. The force of the explosion pushed the two orbs far across the scope of Existence from one another. The orbs seemed to settle in their new loactions. Now the energy of one could not be siphoned by the other.

Omen focused further inward on the first orb he had seen. He saw it sitting at its own edge of reality. Out from it poured energies of all color and size. As the energy flowed out it began to combine and fuse onto itself. As the energy continued to flow, in two places it began to take form. After the energies had come into form they immediately set to work. They worked together, taking of the energy that comprised them to Create more, in all varying size and shape. They drew out of the energy of the Original to create so many things. But as they did so they watched the energy of the Original source grow weaker. They seemed very concerned about the decrease in the Original energy. Attempts were made to put energy back into the Original source. But despite numerous attempts, energy could not be siphoned back. The only way this could happen is at the cost of destroying whatever was providing the energy, so that the whole of it could be properly recycled into an energy form that was usable. This seemed fruitless, to Create things only to be forced to destroy them. But such seemed the norm, as varied planets and races were built and destroyed, the energy recycled through all that were heavily tapped into it. This process allowed all to continue on Creating, while never destroying the source energy completely.

But another problem arose, from the other end of Everything. The other orb that been created in the initial explosion was still sitting in the place it had moved to. But toward it began to float the rays of energy that had been made inside the Original Creation. This energy touched the edge of the orb. As it did, the orb seemed to move. It did not move far, nor did much happen in its movement. But as each ray struck the orb, it seemed to draw a little closer. For each ray of color that touched the orb, it seemed to be absorbed inside. The color would flash for a second, then seem to disappear inside forever. The orb continued to move slowly in the direction from which the rays were projected, as metal drawn to a magnet from great distance.

After a great span of time, many things had been Created. They spanned across distances only measured in that they knew that the space existed, but had no way to accurately measure it all. As it stretched across a seemingly endless scope, eventually the things Created become too many in number. It was eventual that at some point all that had been Created came into contact with the same thing that absorbed all that various energy. As it did the entirety of their lives were annihilated, absorbed into the swirling orb. They too seemed to disappear inside. As so much energy was absorbed, the orb itself grew and changed. It began to move in erratic ways, no longer straight towards the opposing energy source. The orb moved now as if it possessed a Will of its own. But to each place the orb now seemed to go existed things in many varied forms of life. As with the first, all were drawn inside, and the energy continued to swirl and grow.

Everything inside Creation seemed to have concern because of the damage cause by the orb. Attacks of many kinds were launched at it, attempting to remove the problem. But no energy was capable that could be found, nothing could match the strength it had. For it had been born equal in Power to the Original source of Creation, something to which there was no equal. Thus nothing Created out from that source was strong enough to combat something born equal to it, for they had less strength than the energy from which they were Created. Many things afterward were Created in an attempt to combat the problem, but all attempts failed. The swirling orb just continued to swallow up Race after Race of those Created. As it did the energy seemed to become more than just a ball of swirling mass. It had absorbed the form and minds of so many that it now began to take a form of it’s own. A terrible and destructive form, similar to that of a great black dragon. But the term dragon could barely define the massive form of this Being, which seemed to have wings that spanned across galaxies.

This massive Beast began to make it’s way toward more existent Beings. Omen focused inward, towards the places that seemed next in this monster’s path. As he did so he could hear the screams of those that inhabited them. They were filled with fear and panic, for they had heard the stories through the network of messages that pass between the stars. But nothing could prepare them for the feeling of having their entire reality slowly melt away, then disappear in a flash. As they progressed past their last moments as an individual, Omen felt their minds. Inside their own thoughts Omen could feel the presence of a foreign Will. This Will sought only destruction. It wished to reabsorb all the energy that had ever been generated, to recreate the swirling chaos from whence it had spawned. This was it’s only Will, to destroy all things and re-absorb them. And this was exactly what happened, as massive holes were eaten through Existence. But this process took time, as the Beast enjoyed it’s meals quite thoroughly. For with each one more Knowledge was gained, absorbed into the massive whole of the Beast.

As the Beast continued to swell in It’s Knowledge, It gained all the associated power that those It had absorbed had Created in their own right. It learned of Itself, learned of the capacity of It’s own mind. It learned inside itself the capabilities of it’s mind, and thus the Beast began to project Itself to places where It intended to feed. The Beast would find those places that had full civilization, whose societies were many and varied. Then before they even realized what was happening, their entire known star cluster became vacuumed into the mouth of the Beast. In their final moments in time the Beast would project Itself to them. The Beast did this simply to “watch the worm wriggle”. It enjoyed the torment on the faces and in the hearts of those It was about to consume, for each was one step closer to the perfection the Beast sought.

Many of the remaining Beings inside Existence sought a way to keep the Beast from destroying all that had been Created so beautifully. But as time went on, they seemed to forget about the massive threat altogether. Their focus turned inward to the growth each society saw within. But none of the selfish societal growth ever mattered. The Beings grew and flourished for spans of time, but eventually the best they could hope for was to become aware of the impending doom before the Beast had a firm grasp on them. Entire species became wandering remnants, strung across the spaces between the stars in hiding. It seemed eventual that all things would be sucked back into one place, one very small piece at a time.

The Creators called representatives from across Existence together. Between themselves, they had come up with one more Plan to stop this cycle of destruction. The only way to combat the Beast was with the full strength of the Original Energy, as this was the only thing even close to equal. But they could not, nor would they, destroy all that had been Created in order to accomplish this, for they already weighed heavy with the guilt of every Race they could not save. Instead, they would make Existence itself the prison inside which the Beast was jailed. Using the strongest magic available, they distorted time and space itself. They bent and twisted all the galaxies around the Beast, creating an energetic shell that did not allow energy to be absorbed. Around this shell rotated all the varied Races and galaxies Created since the Beginning, with the dreaded Beast trapped inside. Over time the Beast seemed to calm, even seeming to drift off into a dream of It’s Own.

The flow of Time and Creations seemed to continue and stabilize without complication. But the manipulation necessary to allow such a thing to be had been extreme. For in order to turn Everything into a prison, endpoints had to exist opposing one another. The strength of these energetic endpoints was determined by the total amount of energy that flowed through them. From these endpoints flowed the energies of all that had been Created, separated by the will behind them. Those whose energies were pure and untainted resided in the place they were assigned, using the energies of the Light to empower the remnants of the other Races. On the opposing end of the energy, those rotten and corrupt in their selfishness would be sent away, so that their rottenness would not infect the others. Through this a balance of energy was maintained, and as long as the balance remained, so did the prison of the Beast. The Creators rejoiced alongside the Created, for finally they could know peace and prosperity again. Once again societies progressed and changed, and much was discovered that benefitted them all.

But the energies of the endpoints seemed to weaken. The Beings that resided there drew their strength from the resonant energies of the places they inhabited. As such, their feeding made the energy of the places themselves weaker. As the energy weakened, the Beast could be felt again. It still seemed to lie dormant, but showed the signs that it would not sleep forever. For even inside the slumbering Beast, the Will to destroy all things remained. As the endpoints continued to weaken, the Beast seemed set to be free. Those knowing of this fact were gripped with pure terror, for they knew that they would be unable to prevent their own annihilation. The spell had worked, but it had only extended the length of rope from which Existence was to be hung.

The Creators strove for another option. A way to keep the prison intact. A way to strengthen the energies of the endpoints of Existence, that they might remain strong enough to keep the imprisonment of the Beast throughout Eternity. But through many experiments with all sorts of Created magic, the results were fruitless. For the energies of the associated places were not exactly the same as the energies of the beings that resided there, and thus the only method to strengthen it was to destroy the Being. This was not appropriate, that lives must be continually sacrificed to maintain a jail cell, and the Creators continued to experiment with new methods, grumbling in their frustration. For every failed attempt used up more of the Original source energy, and drew them all closer to being powerless. Panic was instilled in the Home of the Creators, as all the Servants learned of their plight. But all still sought a method to destroy the Beast, and bring peace to Existence forever…

Omen snapped awake. He threw on his shoes and headed outside. He sat almost trembling as the images in his dreams were burned in to his mind. Everything he had seen, everything he had overheard, it was more than Omen had ever expected. While he had seen things in his dreams before, and traveled to many places, Omen never thought his dreams would take him through the history of Everything, even if only in part. Omen closed his eyes and prayed, thanking the Father for all that he had been shown. About the True Beginning, and about the threat which all Existence faces. There was no name associated with the Creature in Omen’s dreams, even as he questioned Abbadon about it. He was told that the only term used to speak about the Beast, though doing so was believed to bring it closer to awakening fully, was “The Beast of Greatest Nothing”. As Omen had feared, his dreams ran parallel with reality. What he had seen was the answer to the question he had asked, in more detail than Omen could have ever imagined.

12

Omen told the others some of the details he had learned. But as usual, his input was met with questioning eyes and snide comments. It seemed that as Omen had focused inward, Sara had become obsessed with the image of the Orion Nebula. Inside it she claimed to see images of all kinds, and then inside them she saw what had to be done. She claimed that she was to be part of a new Plan, designed to unleash the strongest Lords of Hell upon the Earth. Omen sat and listened as she detailed the plan out for him, explaining where it all was to lead.

It started with her, of course, or moreover the spirit she was associated with. Sara said that Abbadon had been the first piece of this puzzle, by creating her son. She continued on that she was meant to ascend to a higher position, the “Whore of Babylon” in the stories of Old. She said that her task was to become impregnated by each of the seven Lords, one after the other. In doing so she would produce children connected to the Lords from birth. Sara said that with the kind of instruction they could provide the children, they would understand their gifts at extremely young ages. This would allow them to grow to a level of strength incontestable by the rest of society, trapped inside the lies of the Mundane. Sara said that these children would go on to lead the future of Humanity, no longer limited by the lies of the past.

Omen began to object the potential Plan right away, saying that whoring herself out to a variety of men was not the answer. But Sara was not phased by Omen’s rationale, she simply spent more time on Facebook looking. She began to tell them all about those she would find that might hold the potential to be “next on the list”. But in reality, the one most likely to be next was Norm himself. For each day they spent in bed with one another, and they only had Sara’s birth control shot to prevent it. Sara admitted to the truth in this, that Samael was most likely to be the next father in line. This gave Sara even more reason to spend all of her time beside Norm, treating Omen like some form of indentured servant. She demanded he massage her feet and hands, begged him to do all her various chores for her. But in the end she showed him no real affection, simply a guise of pretend happiness when she decided to. Omen recognized he was in a terrible situation, and had no way to get out. He prayed to the Father that he might be released from the vile grip around his throat, but no answer could be heard. As such Omen continued on, forcing himself to maintain his composure. Even as every thought in his mind wished to see all three of the adults lying dead on the floor.

They drove back to South Carolina, and the mistreatment continued. More and more Sara complained about how Omen “wasn’t far enough along” and “would never be able to properly channel Abbadon at this rate”. At times Omen let her words harm him, for in truth he still cared for Sara. Despite her mistreatment of him, Omen still believed there was a chance she could be made to see again. Besides, he had promised in contract to give more effort for this than would normally be acceptable, simply to prove he had tried to hold up his end. Omen still continued to drive the car for the most part, though at times when he became exhausted Sara took over. She would drive for about an hour or so as Omen rested, then he would take the wheel again. They pulled into a run-down looking motel in a terrible looking evening. They were prepared to stay a couple of days, resolve the court issue, then leave again. Their destination was as yet uncertain, but they knew this would be the time in which that decision was made.

That night Sara and Omen left by themselves to acquire groceries for the night’s meal. Sara said this was her way of, “giving Omen the time he always begged for”. They spent their time discussing what to do next, aside from their usual arguments over fairness in relationships. Sara asked Omen what he thought was best, a move that he found mildly surprising. For why, if he was constantly chastised for being “inappropriate” would his opinions even be considered? If Omen was as rotten inside as Sara constantly accused him of, then she should not even want his opinion. This led Omen to the realization that Sara had brought him along with cause, not simply just as another servant to her needs. This was also why she “told him he should leave” many times, that she would provide his funding to get on a bus. But in reality it had all been a smokescreen, designed to keep Omen’s feelings hurt. Once Omen realized this for himself, he decided that it was time to do the same, and seek comfort for himself. He said nothing of this to Sara, only asking if any progress had been made to finding another female for the relationship.

Sara said some potential existed, but even her suggestions were unfair. She said she had found another “wife” of Samael, and that she was willing to join them. But this only seemed to mean that Sara and Norm would share another woman, leaving Blake and Omen further outcast. Sara had taken the “relationship” and turned it into her excuse to do whatever she wanted to three men at once. So Omen began to look for himself, to see if there was any other he could find that might understand his situation. Someone that might want to help him, someone that might care for him as person.

On Facebook Omen conversed with many people. He was also associated with many Satanic groups, even after Sara had told him the groups were influencing him negatively. Omen sought someone that he could discuss his issues with, that might be able to guide him to the next step on the right path. For after being told that his task was to watch someone he cared for mother 6 children, while he raised her other, Omen realized that the path itself was corrupt. Sara had become selfish and twisted in her own perceived power, and now wished to have that kind of dominance over more men. As well she wanted dominance over any women that joined the relationship, a point which she made clear to everyone from the beginning. Sara saw herself as a Queen, and wished to be treated as one, even though she could not provide for servants the way a Queen does. Omen growled to himself as he saw Sara for who she truly was, as well as what she had caused him to do to himself. Sara had convinced Omen that he was a failure, that he deserved to be treated terribly. By doing so, she made her keeping Omen around seem like a gracious gesture. This was easily cosigned to by the others, who simply wanted Sara to stay happy. Omen swore that a way would be discovered to get out of this predicament, a direct violation of the contracts he had made with them internally.

Omen drove Sara and Blake to the court date. Norm was told to stay behind, as Sara assumed that even his presence would raise too many questions from her husband.Omen was told to drop them off near the courthouse, then pull away from sight. Omen was to park the car and await a message telling him to return. Omen sat alone for quite some time, evaluating his situation. In that moment, Omen wanted simply to take the car and leave. But he knew that such an action would only lead to his arrest, and Omen had worked extremely hard to keep his record free of incarcerations. As such he prayed again for a way out, and for the strength to endure until that way was found. Omen felt in his heart that he could make it through this trial, just as he had all the ones before it.

When he finally went to pick them up, time had to be spent unpacking the car. All of the child’s belongings were given to his father, who had been granted “temporary custody”. The hearing itself would be held at a later date, once Sara had time to stabilize her life. But for now the child was to stay with his father, a decision that made Omen smile. Sara’s selfishness and constant desire for more was already taking things from her that she cared about. Omen knew this process would only continue, for he had seen it many times before. So Omen pretended to care as he consoled Sara about the loss of her child, all the while waiting for her fall to become worse.

The decision was made to leave South Carolina the next day. The destination had finally been set, based mostly on Omen’s conversations with Sara. For he had told her many times, “If you feel that California is where your Fate lies, then why would you be anywhere else? The answer doesn’t exist”. But the drive across the country was long. It was also nearly Christmas, and as usual the families of the group that cared at all for their kin called to ask how they were doing. Based on what was said, a new route was planned. They would journey to Tennessee once again. They would spend a night with Tabitha, and eat with her. Then the next day they would leave again, but this time their road would take them north. For Omen’s family had wished his presence so badly since his return from Iraq that they invited the entire group to stay in their home, free of charge. This was a service that Omen’s mother and step-father had offered, and Sara told Omen she thought seeing his family was best.

As they made the drive to Tennessee, Sara discussed the specifics of the trip to Illinois. Omen explained the heavily Christian influence on his father’s side of the family, a fact proven by the preachers in the family, married to one another. This was just one pair of Omen’s patriarchal line, and all of them wanted to see the family’s “military hero”. For Omen was the third generation of his family to join the military in one branch or another. Even with the nature of his discharge, Omen’s family still told him that he had been the honor for his generation of the lineage. This honor gave him an ability to draw the family together, so that they might all have the same attempt to talk to him. When they learned of Omen’s arrival, his grandfather rented out a section of an Italian restaurant in Pekin. They would all gather here as a family, eat, socialize, and then return to their individual lives. This had been a family Christmas tradition for years, but it had recently been overshadowed by the sickness Omen’s grandmother had. No matter the name of the disease, it took away his grandmother’s ability to walk, to speak clearly, and to manage her own life. This had forced them both into a nursing home, for her husband could no longer care for them both alone. Without a house to gather at by invitation, the family had splintered in its’ own directions. Omen assumed that it was hoped this party would change that, instilling a new tradition for the family.

The most heated topic of discussion was the situation regarding them all staying with Omen’s mother. Omen had not spoken to his mother in years, due to her constant disrespect. She had no idea the nature of Omen’s relationship, and everyone felt it best that it stay that way. As such they decided that, while in Illinois, Sara was Omen’s girlfriend alone. Nothing was to be said of the polygamous relationship, and they were to follow this until they left. Everyone agreed this was for the best, though Norm was upset. This lie in that he had slept with Sara almost every night since they had left Tennessee, and now she would be in Omen’s bed. From here Norm would be unable to touch her as he so frequently desired, a fact which brought an internal joy to Omen. Perhaps now Norm would feel the pain he had suffered for so long.

They arrived back in Tennessee to a warm welcome from Tabitha. She did not have much room for them all to sleep, but they made do with the couch and blanket padding on the floor. Omen had become used to this, as many times in his anger over unfairness he had moved himself to the floor of their hotel rooms. This plus the military had made Omen resistant to the pain of laying on the carpeted cement, so he did not complain about where he would sleep. The same did not hold true for Sara though, who spent the entire time complaining about how nothing was good enough for her. Omen could feel the degeneration in her, she was slowly losing control. Her connection to the dark energies had overshadowed her want for enlightenment and growth with her demand for more control. Omen was sure that the whispers of Samael, and Norm’s constant lusting for Sara, also had an influence on her mind. But the time was not right, Omen had to continue.

That evening, as they argued, Abbadon channeled through Omen purely. He felt his emotions, his control, and his perception of reality change. For Omen spoke and acted, but not of his own volition. Abbadon spoke words to Sara that were both stern and hopeful, an act that Omen did not understand. But after much consideration, Omen realized the reason. Abbadon came into Omen fully to prove that Omen was more than capable of handling the effect, that his soul already possessed the qualities necessary for it to be complete. But Abbadon, like Omen, saw what was happening. He wished that Sara would calm herself, realize what she was doing, and stop. But Abbadon, who was once a spirit of Justice, could not influence her decision to do so directly. Her own Free Will to be vile had to be maintained.

After everyone else had laid down to sleep, Omen paced the front porch out front of Tabitha’s house. As he did Abbadon spoke into his mind. He told Omen that many things were set to happen. He told Omen that he would need to maintain the same level of fortitude he had shown upon his expulsion from the Army. Abbadon warned that he would endure much suffering, but that in allowing such to be he would find his next step. So Omen sucked his pride deep down inside, and accepted taking the vile Family with him to Illinois. Omen hoped that maybe seeing how close-knit his family remained, even at such a great distance, might open their eyes as to the nature of Family.

When they arrived, Omen’s mother welcomed them with open arms. She had prepared places for them all to stay. Omen and Sara were to stay in the bedroom at the end of the hall. This room had been Omen’s years ago, now it had been converted to his mother’s study. But she had reorganized the things in the room so that a queen-sized air mattress, obviously of decent price, could be made in the center. In the basement, a bed was made for the other two. But there was also the large couches, made of both cloth and leather, that could be used to rest as well. Omen saw that his mother and step-father had worked even harder than usual to make the home inviting. This was simply because Omen’s mother had not seen or heard much from her only son in years, and wanted to make a good impression.

Plenty had been made available for them to enjoy. Alcohol had been purchased for everyone to drink, so that they might relax and enjoy themselves. For Omen, an early Christmas present. Based on things he had said to his mother about his findings as to his own past life, she had bought him something special. A bottle of Russian Standard Imperia Vodka, the best Russian vodka she could find reasonably. As they sat in the Jacuzzi that evening and drank, they talked about many things. As the vodka worked its way inside Omen, he found his personality changing. But this was no channeling, the feeling was much different. Omen seemed to choose to speak with an accent, though his perception of it was broken. He talked about how good the vodka was, and how “puny people just can’t handle it”. While the minor amount had been more than enough for the others, mixed in their drinks, Omen sat with a glass of vodka and sipped it. They happily chatted their way through the evening, then each went to sleep.

Omen enjoyed the situation he found himself in. For in order to portray herself solely as Omen’s girlfriend, she was unable to hang all over Norm. This left her pent up in the evening, when she was more than happy to ravage Omen. She even seemed to put more effort into the act than usual, opting out of her lazy habits and putting her whole body to work. After they were done Sara would snuggle up beside him, the same as she had done before. Omen finally understood. The scent he recognized when Sara was around, the way his mind seemed clouded when she was making her will known. It was a magical effect she produced, a form of hypnosis. The pheromone entered the minds of the men, and compelled them to follow her every whim. Omen chuckled inside as he felt the poison attempt to work on him again. But in recognizing it, Omen had broken the spell. But that would not stop him from taking full advantage of her belief that it was working, a fact he had proven as he lay beside her naked form. And to ensure the deception, Omen would have to “play the role”.

Over the course of the days that followed, Omen did just that. He spent his time relaxing, as well as visiting some of his old friends. But as time went on, the mood in the house seemed to change. Sara began to argue with Omen’s mother for nonsensical, pointless reasons. But Omen’s mother seemed to fuel these arguments, as if she was encouraging them to happen. More than once, Omen had to break up their fighting. Each time would send Sara into a rage, for she was dealing with a woman who refused to be dominated. But eventually, Omen would manage to calm the situation again, and they would go back to enjoying their time. But Omen continued to have a strange feeling that something was terribly wrong. Everyone seemed to be acting like the worst of themselves, without any balance in their actions. This confirmed a strange energy Omen had sensed since his arrival.

Omen searched for the energy. But it was found to be very difficult to locate. For it did not seem to come from any person in the home individually, but more it seemed to “jump” between them all. At times Omen felt the influence of the spirit on himself. Once it entered his mind, he wished to see the others in the home pay for their continual disrespect of him. He wished to say vile, hurtful things to them, so as to damage them internally. This effect seemed to be transferable through people to other locations as well. For even when they left the home, the vile behavior continued. Omen did his best to mitigate the constant conflict, as he continued to search for the source of the problem.

The evening came for Omen’s family to gather. All of his traveling companions were invited, by Omen’s choice to do so. Even Norm, with whom Omen was in conflict over so much. Omen did this as a pure gesture of Family, bringing his Human family together with those he had wished to be Family with in spirit. Everything seemed to go quite well, as each person found themselves engaged in discussion. Omen talked with many of the members of his family, enjoying the time as best he could. But he had a strong feeling that things were going to go wrong again, and that it would be soon. As they packed up their leftovers to leave, Omen tried to explain to the others that he had a “bad feeling”. But Sara did not seem to be in the mood for discussion. It seemed it had already overtaken her, and she was fighting to maintain control of her actions. As they drove back to the house the anger and vileness were already pouring out of Sara, directed mostly at Omen.

Everyone tried to just enjoy a couple drinks and watch television, but it seemed to be impossible. The rift between Sara and Omen’s mother was as definable as it was obvious. They no longer wished simply to argue with one another over who was correct. Now they refused to be around each other at night, saying they could not relax because of the fighting. But they were both the source of it, so their fear of conflict made no sense. The majority of the evening was spent with Omen’s mother moving between the back yard and her room as she complained about Sara’s treatment of her after all she had done. Sara spent most of the evening drinking with Blake and Norm. It seemed, from what Omen’s mother had told him, that they had gone quite overboard in welcoming themselves to the home. They drank most of the contents of all the bottles Omen’s step-father had sitting on shelves in the basement, as part of the bar he had built for himself.

Omen became quite agitated at the actions of the others. But he was also watching them all change personalities on each other, causing even more chaos and discontent. Seeing this, Omen shook his head. He had tried to figure out what could be done to drag them all out of this mindset, but they refused. As such Omen retired to his room, with Sara following him shortly thereafter. But on this evening, Sara did not seem to enjoy their joining as much as she recently had. She put forth effort that was obviously less than any of the previous times. After a time, she told Omen he needed to stop, for she had been made sore. Omen was not finished, but tried his best to respect Sara. As he fell asleep, Sara said she was going back downstairs to watch movies with Blake and Norm. Omen said good night to her, and drifted off to sleep.

The next morning they had plans. Sara believed herself extraordinarily beautiful, and as such she like to have pictures taken of her. Many of these could be seen on her Facebook page, as she posed in many different places and positions. This photo shoot was different in that Omen’s step-father was allowing them to use his motorcycle as a prop. The bike, with it’s cherry red metal lined with fire and chrome, was perfect for photographs. But due to Sara’s small frame, even she knew she would look out of place. So Omen was asked to “play the role of a biker” for the pictures. Sara said Omen, with his goatee and size, fit the type usually associated with motorcycle riders. This was made to look better when Omen pulled a lambskin leather jacket out of his closet. This had been a gift from his sister years ago, and this was a perfect occasion to wear it.

After hours of makeup and preparation, the shoot itself took about an hour. Blake took the pictures, and assigned the positions for them. Some Sara took by herself, straddling the bike in a variety of ways. She did her best to push emotion out through her eyes, the true key to good modeling. For without this trait, the model’s expression does not look real, and thus the picture itself loses value. Omen watched her as she moved about at Blake’s request. He watched the manner of her movements, the emotions she tried to project. Omen was glad his role was supporting, and required much less to make correct.

Blake called Omen to the bike. Now as a pair, a multitude of positions were set up and photographed. The “nature” of the photos was simple. Omen was supposed to be a biker, and Sara was his girl. The pictures gave the impression of a happy couple, all over one another in their want. Of course this was far from the truth, but such is the nature of modeling. Some of the pictures taken were said to be so beautiful that the emotion of both must be real. And while Omen admitted that the picture had the look of real emotion, he could see that it was all fake. With her eyes closed in almost every picture, Sara did not have to show the disgust in her eyes when she looked at Omen. And with his sunglasses on, no way of seeing Omen’s sly gazes at his plans to watch them all fall for their selfish oath-breaking. Thus the plan to pretend like he still cared for Sara was working perfectly.

Later that day, Omen was brought some news from his mother. When he heard it, he was thoroughly disgusted. Apparently, after complaining of soreness and leaving Omen to sleep, Sara had returned to the basement. She stayed there for a time, mostly sitting and conversing with Norm and Blake. This was not unusual, they had spent many an evening doing this. But Omen’s mother revealed her knowledge of the results. Sara would come back each morning with new hickeys on her neck and shoulders, ones not made by Omen. Omen had not paid much attention to the marks on her, as for the last few days she had been very closed off during the day. Then, Omen was told the details he did not want to believe. After Blake had fallen asleep, Sara and Norm snuck outside, and had sex in her car. This happened in her driveway, in plain sight of the windows of neighbors. As Omen attempted to take this information in, his mother added that ever since she had been getting terrible looks from her close neighbors. It seems this action may have been known by more than just her, and it has caused problems in the neighborhood.

Omen went off. He found Sara, and began raging at her for her ignorance. This was it, she had to be told about herself. For too long now she had too many supporting her selfishness, it had to be stopped. Omen put out everything about her actions for weeks, how she had played favorites and been lazy at every turn. But she still had hold over the other two. They could not see past the hypnosis they were still under. They their voices chimed in right behind hers, blaming the majority of the problems on Omen himself. This was a game they had used many times before, to make Omen seem like the one at fault. But Sara tried to force Omen to stay with his mother. While he could not tolerate Sara’s actions, Omen also could not stay. He felt that staying would be much worse than leaving, that his destiny was still to go. So Omen pretended again, this time pretending to cave to Sara and apologize, even begging for another chance to prove himself. This was a disgusting act for someone that knows they are not wrong, but Omen managed to be convincing anyway. They began to pack their things, setting to leave the next day for California.

The drive was quite chaotic. They stopped after the drive had become too much to handle, resting at various hotels. During this time the evaluations continued as to the nature of their mission, as well as their expanding of understanding as to the variety of Beings that surrounded them. For it seemed the more of them that united in their efforts, more showed up asking to join. This proved to Omen that there was a want for unification amongst the Family of the Father, a form that had not yet been developed. Many were trying to instruct others in their growth, but even the leaders seemed bereft on information as to what the intended goal was. The answers ranged everywhere from the empowerment of the self to the tearing down of Christianity, and many levels in between. It seemed to Omen that a direct focus was not yet defined, each sect simply continued on as they thought best.

Omen also began spending a great deal of time messaging Jamie. They had met many moths ago, when Omen lived with Fenris. At the time, Omen thought she was in a real relationship, so he had never seen her in any sort of personal way. But after talking to her several times, and finding out this fact was untrue, Omen began to be attracted to her. The one she had listed as her other on Facebook lived halfway across the world, and they had never met in person. It was another fine example of “Facebook love”, which only extends for as long as the game is entertaining. Also Jamie had concern over several visions she had in her dreams, things she was sure related to the one she called her other. Omen talked to Jamie at great length about many things. She had been in contact as Sara was mistreating Omen, something she did not seem to agree with.

As time had gone on, Jamie’s want had changed. Whereas before their discussions were mostly of faith and their individual lives, now they had started talking about merging those paths together. Jamie had expressed an interest in joining their group, and moving with them to California. But she said that it could not be done right away, because of her personal life. But in order to do this, Jamie had a condition. She wanted Omen to be considered her first in the relationship, and vice versa. This seemed like a fairer arrangement, since Sara wished to spend so much of her time with Norm. But upon speaking with each other several times, as Sara learned that Jamie was a dominant female herself, she immediately turned group opinion against Jamie.

Several methods were used to do this, some personal and some spiritual. The spiritual reason was easiest to define. Jamie had told them all a story from her past, one that is so terrible it baffles reason. She has dreamt several times the same dream, so vivid it could be no less than real. In this dream she is just as baby, being held in the arms of her father. But as it continues he soaks her with blood, a blood of the same nature as her own. He prays over the child, then attempts to drown her. But she is saved by her mother, who forces it to stop.

After evaluating her life over many years, Jamie had come to understand what had been done. It was a ritual, that placed a spiritual essence inside her. Over time, Jamie had learned to speak with the spirit, and to learn more about it. The spirit inside her was found to be that of Baal, venerated as a King in Hell. Baal had been known to come out in her when she was at a breaking point, or in times of great need. When he did so the tiny girl was capable of tossing grown men across a room, usually doing so by the throat. Jamie said she could not keep constant control over what was inside her, as at times it decided to overtake her against her will. It seemed Baal had his own plans for Jamie, though she had no idea what they might be.

In response to this, Sara began suggesting that they find a way to exorcise Ball from Jamie. She said this would purify her, allowing a more proper spirit to take Baal’s place. She said this was necessary because Baal was draining her, as well as the lot of them.They had discovered a form of spiritual leech, one that attaches itself to auras and feeds off them. Sara claimed that these leeches were weapons of Baal being used against them all. Ways were found to remove the leeches from their victims, even at great distances. But they always seemed to return, draining more energy from every person they interacted with. Sara also said Baal had come through the phone into Omen more than once, and he had come to them causing trouble. On further evaluation, Omen could remember at least once when after his conversation with Jamie he felt different in his mind. With these and many other reasons, Sara almost demanded that Jamie remove Baal before joining them in California. But after much contemplation with Omen, Jamie decided that removing Baal might prove lethal to her. For both knew that if such strong blood magic was used to put Baal inside, the magic required might cost more than could be paid for it.

As time went on, Sara and Jamie began to argue. It became obvious that lines had been drawn between them. But Omen did not care about their squabbling. Even as Sara threatened him to be left behind, he continued to talk to Jamie. He told Sara, “Until you are prepared to fulfill my needs the way you do Norm’s, I have every right to have those needs fulfilled elsewhere”. Thus each evening, after the day’s driving was done, Omen went outside the hotel room, to spend time talking with Jamie. Their conversations ranged on every topic imaginable, from matters of spirit to societal trends to sex positions. For the first time in months, Omen found himself smiling as he talked to Jamie, feeling a warmth inside that he had not in some time.

By the time the group had left Illinois, the connection between Jamie and Omen had been established firmly. They began to feel each other in times when one was sad or upset. They began to connect their energies, to allow feeding one from another. Even almost a country apart, the connection was so strong it could not be denied. With practice, the two even found ways to connect their energies sexually, so strong that it felt as if Omen had teleported to her home to have his way with her. This was felt strongly on both ends, neither could deny that this connection was the strongest they had ever felt. Both took great pleasure in their time together, and Jamie became the joy opposite Sara’s misery. Omen even made a point to call her just to sing to her as she went to sleep. While speaking to Jamie, Omen didn’t have to feel depressed about his life anymore. For she had promised him that on his next birthday, months down the road, that she would fly out to visit him. This prospect made Omen’s heart soar, and it became a sort of goal he wished to reach. Omen felt that if he could stabilize himself by June, he would have a proper place for her to come visit.

Sara became extremely jealous of Omen’s relationship with Jamie. It became worse when it was found that Norm agreed with Omen that Jamie would make a fine addition to their group. It seemed both had found another female that they enjoyed talking to, someone that was much more willing to give of herself to please them. This was completely different than Sara’s method, designed to string along as many as possible. Thus Omen watched the dominance war between Sara and Jamie unfold, as both attempted to sway the viewpoints of the men against the other. But Omen did not need to be swayed, he simply was waiting for the explosion. For with each day that the energy of his Lust and want for a mate did not flow toward Sara, she was upset by it. Each time Omen went out to sing to another woman, she felt the sting. And every time she knew that Omen was enjoying having sex with Jamie in spirit more than he had with her in person, she edged toward the explosion. Now, as they neared California, the split seemed inevitable. Omen awaited the right time to act, as he prepared himself for what was to come.

Finally, after days of driving, they arrived at their destination. As they drew closer to the city which their friend Dave lived in, Omen thought about the projected “next step”. The reason that Sara had chosen this city was that she had a friend there. His name was Danny, and he was an actor. He had done various things, but had not yet found his “break out role”. But Danny was hopeful for the future, and the money his eventual success would bring in. When he heard about the idea for the commune, Danny wanted to be involved immediately. He thought the idea of a shared living space with rooms set aside for the individuals and community spaces for cooking and spiritual growth seemed like an excellent idea, a model of the way people should learn to coexist. Danny said that when he obtained a role that paid well, something he had projected in his future, he would want to donate toward making this dream possible.

But Sara had done as was her norm, and twisted this to suit herself. She stated that Danny might be one of the seven lords she was to become impregnated by. Moreover she stated that, “movie stars have to have women to hang on their arm, for social functions or whatever”. Sara fully intended to be that woman, so that all the joy of Danny’s fame would rain down on her too. She even told the three that were with her that she would place Danny above them all, even considering marriage to him. As usual, Omen saw straight through the childish control game Sara was playing. She wanted one thing, for her life to be made easy, but to have all the wealth and power of the greatest of Men on Earth. The sense of entitlement Omen felt exuding from Sara made him sick to his stomach. But this was her disgusting plan, it had been for quite some time. All the others were well aware of it, and had accepted their place. But Omen’s acceptance had been his illusion, for in truth he simply watched as the story unfolded. Considered almost an outsider within the group, it was easy to see how the interaction would destroy Sara’s plan.

Omen began to leave the hotel where they stayed to worship. He walked the streets of California, even though they were unknown to him. Fearlessly his voice rang out past the houses and businesses of people he had never met before. Some made a point to stare, until Omen pulled his sunglasses down and smiled at them. It seemed that whatever they saw in Omen’s eyes had made them reconsider their actions. Down the road about a mile was a beautiful park. This became the endpoint of Omen’s walks, as the park brought a serenity that stone buildings cannot. At times he was accompanied by Blake, more because Sara wanted sexual privacy with Norm than any other reason. Blake would sit in the park and mind his business as Omen sang, caring little for what his so-called “friend” thought of the music. As always, the Father’s opinion of Omen was all he ever cared about.

Omen began to rage in his song. As he did, it was almost as if a hole began to open in front of Omen. Omen had not willed any holes to be made, for there was no need for that type of magic. But as Omen stared inside the hole, he felt something terrible. Almost as if the eyes of a dragon staring back at him. Then, the form began to try and force its way through the hole, snapping at Omen. Omen felt the mind of what attempted to push through the hole. It wanted terror, chaos, and destruction. Omen focused harder on what he was seeing, but did not have time to analyze it completely. He forced energy out of himself, striking the unwanted entity in the face. The pure energy of Light that Omen had learned to manipulate damaged it immediately, but only slightly. But the force was enough for Omen to push the mouth of it back inside the hole and close it tight. Omen fell to his knees and gasped for air. It had taken almost every ounce of his strength to force those jaws back behind the Veil. Omen thanked Abbadon for his continued assistance and guidance, for he knew Abbadon was where he had gotten the idea for the attack. He then praised the Father for giving him the strength to overcome, and headed back to the hotel.

He told the others about the encounter. Sara said Omen had opened the hole in his anger and Hatred towards her. But this made no sense, as during that song Omen had not been focused on their group and it’s problems. The most sensible theory came from Blake, who suggested that the Mind of the Beast might be partially awake, and projecting itself towards the Earth. This gave much more of an inkling of Truth than Sara’s suggestion, simply based on the feelings Omen had pulled from it’s mind. For even in the worst of Demons, Omen had never felt such a will to destroy.

That night Omen saw visions of a fire, the size and composition of which baffles the mind. This fire projected out from the mouth of an enormous dragon. The flames encompassed the entirety of the Earth and it’s Milky Way. The flames burned hot enough to roast the Human inhabitants of the Earth in minutes. Omen felt his skin burning, he fell to his knees and cried out in pain. He saw everything turning to ash around him. He watched as the trees burnt to the ground, leaving no lasting beauty to be found. He saw the people disappear, the whole area becoming like one mass grave. Omen looked to the sky for hope. But as he watched, the Sun itself seemed to be affected by the projected flames. It twisted and distorted, then seemed to dim a bit. Then, a violent explosion rocked the sky as the Sun was removed from Existence. Omen knew what came next, and prepared himself. As the skin seemed to continue to melt off his skin, he watched the ground in front of him evaporate in the shockwave of the Sun’s explosion. Omen saluted the Father and stared straight into his Fate, ready to see his Creator. Omen could almost hear the Earth scream in pain as the shockwave connected, as the Earth was ripped to shreds. Omen’s body spontaneously combusted, bursting into bright flames.

Omen awoke from his dream in agony. Even though his body showed no signs of it, Omen still felt as if he was on fire. He rushed into the shower, soaking himself in cool water to negate the effect. Omen calmed his mind as he brought himself back into reality, and the knowledge that he was not burning in any way. As he did the pain finally subsided, then Omen washed and cleansed himself. He was amazed at the depth of his dream. But then he realized all that he had seen. By spending so much time considering and focusing on the Beast, Omen had connected to it. It was the will of the Beast Omen had seen in his dreams. The eventual goal, and the Fate planned for the Earth and it’s inhabitants. Omen went outside to pray, begging the Father to show him what might be done. To give him a method by which he might be made strong enough to stop this destruction. No direct method was given, only the sensation that Omen must continue to learn. But now, with this Knowledge in hand, Omen had good reason to. For it was not simply his own life that would be affected by this, but every Existent Being in the known galaxy. A tragedy like this had to be avoided at any cost. This gave Omen a stronger resolve than ever, as he stood ready to face his own future.

13

It had been about two weeks since the group had arrived in California. Due to his service in the military, Omen had benefits available to him. He was asked to see if he could find a way to lie to the organizations, to be able to house their entire family. Omen wouldn’t have done this, but his will on the subject did not matter. For it was found that he could be housed, but only if he was alone. But while there, Omen found details for a program that he did want to participate in. It was a class just for veterans. The result of the class was a license to be a security guard anywhere in the state of California. While this wasn’t anything near what Omen wanted to do with his life, he also knew that those who guard the important gain important connections. It was these connections Omen sought, the route to those with means. Omen did not want this for himself, but to find someone who had the same will as himself to work toward progress and growth.

But the class was nowhere near the hotel where they stayed. As such, Omen had to spend what little monies Sara would give him, and obtained a bus pass for a month. He had to ride more than one bus to his destination, and the ride took more than an hour. But each morning, long before dawn, Omen would arise. He would shower and get ready, then walk to the bus stop. These times Omen used to pray, for there were almost no people around. As he rode the bus Omen found himself texting Jamie frequently, or simply listening to his music and reflecting. As he did so, Omen continued to ask why he was forced to endure this torment, knowing that he would eventually leave. The response was that all things happen with purpose, and that the time would be coming soon that Omen awaited.

Each day Omen arrived at the building where the class was held. He was always there long before the doors opened. This allowed for more time to pray, though as usual those around did not seem to enjoy it as much. One morning, as she was dealing with someone repeatedly draining her energy, Jamie begged Omen for help. She said that there was a female that she had known for a very long time, the one that taught her magic originally. But Jamie said that in doing so, the woman had opened a bond between them. She used this bond to take energy from Jamie, as well as invade her dreams. This had gone on for some time, and Jamie had no idea what to do in order to stop it. She had asked for days for various advice on things she might do to protect herself. Omen worked with her on her shielding techniques, as well on energetic measures for defense. But while the shielding seemed to prevent the woman from invading Jamie’s dreams, her energy was still being stolen. As she weakened the shield lost its strength, and again Jamie’s dreams were invaded.

Omen grew tired of the games. One morning as he awaited his class, Jamie called and begged again for his help. She had important business to handle, and she was being assaulted again. The woman admitted to this, saying she was not going to let Jamie leave her tutelage. Omen focused himself quickly, and texted his plan to Jamie. She sent back her understanding, and Omen returned to focusing his energy. He put on the music which properly focuses the purest Hatred inside him, creating the strongest of energies Omen could produce. But as he had learned to do from his conversation with the Earthmother, Omen spun and manipulated the energy. Now it no longer existed in the dark red of Hatred, but in colors more designed for strengthening and healing. Omen associated the energy to the things he knew brought Jamie joy as he continued to make the energy grow. Omen then visualized the bond that stretched between them. Once he could see it, Omen grabbed ahold of the massive energy. He sent the energy through the bond straight to Jamie. Soon after she responded that she had been suddenly struck by a massive force, and had lost her sight for a split second. But immediately afterward she had been filled with energy, and now was ready to complete all the day’s tasks. She thanked Omen for his help, but he was not done.

Having connected so deeply with Jamie, Omen could feel his way through her. He found the bond to the vile woman. He began to follow it to the source, but stopped midway. In the center he placed a two-way barrier. This allowed Jamie to feed energetically if she chose, but would make it much more difficult for the one abusing this right. The he continued, to the edge of the bond closest to the enemy. In this place he put another energetic trap. The design of this trap was as an energetic filter. It caused all energies drawn in through it to become twisted and vile, pictured the same way a sickness would be seen. If the woman refused to stop draining Jamie, the energy she would draw in would poison her. Omen smiled as he set the traps in to place, knowing full well that he still was not finished.

Omen drew himself back from the bond. Through it Omen could now picture the energy of the woman in his mind. She was surrounded by a shield of many various layers, meant to protect against any threat. But Omen had been trained to deal with such things. For knowing that each layer of the shield was a separate element, this meant that each layer had a separate weakness. One by one Omen melted the layers of the shield away, until the vile witch was exposed. Omen commenced to energetically “kicking her ass”, projecting himself assaulting her both physically and energetically. This was done with a feeling attached, something he knew the witch would feel. Stated simply, “this is your last warning, stop you vileness before it kills you”. After he felt the witch had been sufficiently attacked, enough that he was sure she had been affected by it, Omen drew back completely. He went on with his class as any other day.

But the day was far from normal. As Omen tried to study with the group, he felt the assault on his mind. His head became fuzzy, and pain split his temples. But Omen was ready. He threw up a strong shield as he listened to the instructors, and the pain subsided almost immediately. Omen knew the source of the attack, due to text messages sent from Jamie. She said that the witch had contacted her directly, and was very angry. She accused Jamie of sending a demon after her, that her mind was being tormented. She also claimed to be unable to feel Jamie at all, despite her best efforts to do so. Jamie had attributed it all to her new shield, but the witch knew better. She had attacked what had assaulted her in an attempt to prove herself dominant. But the attack was weak at best, the energy tasting like freshly uprooted plants. The witch was attacking with the power of the Earthmother, and Omen knew she would be very sorry for her mistake.

After the class, Omen moved again to the place where he had prayed before. He texted Jamie, and asked her the current status of the witch. She was found to be enraged, spouting challenges to whatever had contested her will. Omen was happy to accept her challenge, and asked Jamie to assist him. He told her to focus her will straight at the witch, and to will all her powers stripped. To have everything she was abusing taken away from her, that she might learn the price of selfishness. Jamie agreed, and began to focus her mind. Omen prepared his mind as before, but this time he was not alone. He felt two spirits nudging at him, demanding the right to assist. One was Abbadon, who had a serious problem with the witch’s vile abuse of Earth Magic. He said it was unjust, that the witch deserved to be punished. Next to him was Baal, who had become fed up with the attacks on someone he guarded. he said Omen would be more apt to use his energy effectively, as he could combine it into his own. They asked Omen to do more than he had ever trained to, to push his abilities to the next level.

Omen focused himself. He opened his mind, wrapping his energy around both Abbadon and Baal. He allowed the energy to swirl between them all, combining it into a single color. Once the energies were combined Omen created a vortex in his mind, drawing the entirety of the energy in. Omen shook his head as he stared in front of him. His mind was a chaotic storm of thought as both Abbadon and Baal tried to speak. But after several minutes the chaos was calmed, and the shell of Omen became the house for an assault squad. Now holding inside the energy of two, Omen was filled to the brim with their strength. He charged in energetically and assaulted the witch. He held back nothing, expending every sort of abuse he could create. She was burnt, beaten, wrapped in chains that melted into her skin. Omen did not hesitate for a second, he could feel their will flow through him. They all were tired of the witch and her abuses, and they were happy to assist Omen in doing so. Omen grabbed the bond between Jamie and the witch and ripped it apart, burning it off all the way to both ends. He felt the witch cry out for him to stop attacking her. He smirked as he walked away, but left Baal and Abbadon to continue their torment.

That was the last that was heard from the witch. Days passed without incident, then even Jamie became concerned. It was later discovered that the vile witch had died. Jamie was happy to accept this victory, for it was not the first time that her projected will had caused someone’s demise. Omen cared little for where responsibility need be placed, for the task had been accomplished. Never again would the vile witch pollute the Earth with her magic. Omen hoped that this would be one of the only times he would be forced to assault another magically, for Omen saw these people as potential Family. But he was happy that things finally calmed down in this aspect, for he had enough to deal with already.

The time drew near for Omen to graduate his course. Knowing this, Sara already had big plans for their future. She wanted Omen to get a job right away, so they could find a place to live. She had been forcing this effort down both Omen and Blake’s throats, demanding that they go out each day to look for jobs. But while they went out and searched, Sara and Norm spent the majority of the day having sex. Some time was spent producing small sketches in pencil, so that they could say they had been working. But none were even close to the level required for Sara to apply for an artist’s position with Blizzard. Omen knew their standards were high, as he had been an avid player of many of their games.

The problem worsened due to another guest of the hotel they stayed in. He smoked weed, something that Omen did not argue with personally. For prior to joining the Army, as well as a few times afterward, Omen himself had partaken. He enjoyed it, but never allowed it to dominate his life. More than once he had stopped, the most prominent being when he joined the Army. Even as much as he had enjoyed the feeling, Omen did not smoke weed during his entire time there, out of respect for the honor he felt the Army was supposed to have. But now, Sara happily joined this stranger in smoking. She knew Omen enjoyed smoking, but she told him he was not allowed to. This was due to his security guard course, and a job that would definitely require a drug test to get. Omen accepted this, letting her go off with the man alone to get high.

She returned with a strange request. The man had a prescription for marijuana, and Sara wanted Omen to drive the man to the dispensary to go acquire more. Sara was purchasing it, using some of the little money they had left. This money had come from her son’s college fund. Sara had insisted that they, meaning Omen and whoever worked, would replenish the fund later. She kept insisting that Omen owed her one fourth of the money, something Omen repeatedly scoffed at. For it was her decision to put her wants above the future need of her son, and Omen would not help her fix that mistake. Now, seeing this, Omen felt comfortable with his decision. Especially after she threatened to throw him out when he argued the legality of it. So Omen appeased her, and drove the vehicle, bringing Sara back the “medicine she needed so desperately”. But in accepting he had one unwaverable condition, that the smoking of such be limited only to Sara, and only in times when she was in pain. She accepted this, assuring Omen the weed was not for recreation. So Sara received no more complaints from Omen as she went into the bathroom, so Omen would not have to watch. They lay down to sleep like any other night, and the next day Omen returned to his class.

When he returned to the room that evening, Omen could sense that something was attempting to be hidden from him. He asked Blake how his day had been. Blake told him about the many places he had gone in search of jobs, but how few positions were available. He complained that the process would be made easier if Omen would give them his cell phone during the day. But Omen continued to refuse, saying the phone was the only thing they had not taken from him and treated him poorly for. In truth, his phone was their only means of contact at all, so as not to pay the high cost of hotel calls. Thus Sara could not speak to her son without it, Norm could not speak with the family that called for him each day, and Blake could not continue his job hunt. Omen was well aware of this fact, and knew that it was his last remaining piece of leverage. For Sara had fixed her own laptop, and now kept the single Internet connection for herself. Omen was slowly being made useless, but he would not allow this to be.

They moved again, to a hotel that was found to be cheaper. This was known to be the end of the funding, there would be no more places to stay. Omen had suggested many times before that they simply get a tent and move outside, until they were ready to become stable. This would save them hundreds on hotel stays alone. But Sara refused, she seem objected to life outside. Her ego saw her reflection as that of a Queen, and she demanded to live as one. But during their last week of hotel time, Sara revealed her next plan. Due to the fact that Omen and Blake had been unable to find a way to support her financially, she was going to abandon them both. She would leave with Norm to his parents’ house, and they would move on from there. She stated that she would “be back for them later”, but Omen knew what she meant. She was pretending to be nice before she abandoned them both. Omen also saw this was the reason that Sara had tried to distance herself from him emotionally. If she felt no attachment to him, she would feel no pain from leaving him behind.

That night as Omen spoke with Jamie, he told her of Sara’s rotten plan. He also told her about how he had been treated recently, having little food and no cigarettes while at class. He told her about how things were hidden from him, and how he had proof Sara and Norm had used money to go to McDonald’s while he was away, but there was almost nothing to eat in the room. Jamie had heard enough. She sent Omen 100 dollars via Western Union. Omen snuck out that same evening, taking Sara’s car to go retrieve the money. He bought himself cigarettes and some quick food, but knew to return the car quickly. For at any moment Sara might send him a message demanding his return to the room, usually to listen to more of her complaining. But he was never discovered, and that night slept well. For he knew that even when those that had claimed to be Family had betrayed him, someone still existed that cared.

The next morning, Omen happily sat and ate his Jack in the Box breakfast. His stomach would be full for this day’s instruction, and thus he could concentrate easier. But his phone was filled with messages from both Sara and Blake, who complained about all the things they could not do without Omen. Sara wanted to talk to her son, Blake was trying to set up interviews. They said this was an issue they intended to fix, and they would discuss it more later. Upon his arrival at the room, they all began criticizing him. Each seemed to take their turn taking out their anger and aggression on Omen. He sat on the bed, absorbing all they were saying to him. These people that had claimed to care so much seemed so eager to tear down someone that was hard at work trying to support them, all over something as simple as his personal cell phone.

Omen stood up and began to retort. He told Blake he needed to quit speaking until his words were his own, not regurgitated bile stemming from Sara. He asked Blake why, if she intended to leave him, he still defended Sara’s selfish actions. Then he turned his focus to Norm, ready to unleash all he had stored inside. He gave him every detail he had watched with his own eyes. How Norm constantly whispered in Sara’s ear, causing her to choose Norm first in everything. How he was happy to be the only male not required to work at all, how willing he was to live like a bum. He also reminded Norm, as he began to grow angry, that he had been defeated both in physical and magical combat with Omen before, and that he would easily be struck down. Omen began to feel all the rage he had stored for months flow through him. As the energy grew the others began to back away, recognizing the severity of Omen’s rage.

Omen turned his sights to Sara. His gaze stared death straight through her. He brought up every time she had intentionally hurt his feelings to serve herself. How she constantly told him he wasn’t good enough, how she downplayed his obvious talents. He told her what he had discovered about her sneaking out to eat without him, and demanded to know if McDonald’s was worth betraying someone that trusted her. He even brought up what she had done with Norm in Illinois, and all the problems it had caused. He told Sara she was everything but an angel, and he was tired of listening to her lies. He demanded she “unfuck herself”, for the continued safety of her own soul. Omen finished his statements by reminding them all, “Those who reside in glass houses should not throw pebbles at someone that hurls boulders”.

As expected, once Omen had finished his tirade the others began their own. They tried their best to turn everything back around, making Omen seem like the one in the wrong. They blamed their individual actions on Omen’s inability to “properly assimilate” into the group mentality, that his single-mindedness kept him apart from them. Omen took the assault for what it was, them defending their own egos. But as they yelled and screamed, Omen concocted a devious plan, for he felt that it was finally time. Omen pretended to be hurt by their words, even faked tears and remorse. He told them that his words were only his expression of a want to see the Family excel, and that he still believed it was possible. They believed every word, or at least pretended to. As Omen expected, they accepted him staying, but only with special conditions. He would have to leave his phone with them each day while he went to class, so they could handle their business. Omen accepted the terms of the agreement for his continued stay with them. Sara and Norm went back into the main bedroom, obviously with much to talk about alone. Blake went back to watching television, occasionally using a laptop to do research.

Omen claimed he was “too full of energy”. He started cleaning the entire hotel room, organizing one thing at a time. No one contested this, as they were known not to enjoy cleaning up after themselves. But as he cleaned, Omen found those things which belonged to him. He packed them all neatly into the bags he had brought with him. The only things that remained out were his clothes for the next day, his laptop, hus phone, and his hygiene items. Omen laid down to sleep, setting his alarm early as he always had to for class.

When he awoke, Omen showered and shaved as usual. Blake was awake for a moment, but soon rolled back over and fell asleep. After he cleansed himself and got dressed, Omen set to work quietly. He rounded up everything of his he could find, packing it into his three bags. Once he had found all he could remember, Omen strapped on the bags and left the room. He left his room key on the table, so they would know he was not coming back. Omen realized quickly that the combined weight of the bags was quite heavy. He had to adjust several times before it was comfortable, but soon was marching down the street to his music.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see Blake standing before him, wearing nothing but his boxer shorts. Even with Omen’s hands full with his bags, Blake asked Omen if he had left his cell phone behind as instructed. Omen simply replied, “It’s over Blake,” and continued to walk. When called again he responded exactly the same way, and Blake soon rushed back to the room. Omen managed to haul the bags to the bus stop, and was happy when he got on it without further incident. Omen closed his eyes and prayed, thanking the Father for allowing him to leave the vile Family without all the problems that had been forseen. For both Omen and Jamie had been given visions of the price of leaving carelessly. They showed images of Sara sending police after Omen, falsely claimed that he had assaulted her. The other reason claimed was the theft of some of her things, which was why Omen took great care to take only what he had brought with him. Now Omen was alone with nothing, save for the little money he had left in his pocket. But Omen was prepared to survive however was necessary, and he had faith that he would be able to do so.

Omen sat at Jack in the Box again, waiting for the building to open. once it did Omen went straight inside, to the receptionist’s desk. He had spoken to her many times, for she was all the main driving force of the business. He asked her for a favor, that he be allowed to store his two large bags in a back room for the day. He also asked for understanding as to why he would be gone all day during class. Omen told her about his situation, and that he was going to look for a place to stay. She became instantly worried about Omen, for she knew he was not native to California, and had no one to go to. But Omen reassured her that he would be fine, that he had some ideas. So she took Omen’s bags and placed them underneath a table in her office. Omen kept the bag with his laptop, for he knew he would need it.

But as Omen hunted for a solution to his problem, another arose. Omen discovered that he had forgotten some very important items when he had left the hotel. The most prominent among them were the charger for his laptop, and the charger for his phone. Without power, they both died fast, and Omen had to struggle to make progress. But he managed to find the bus route to the VA offices without too much hassle, and soon he stood on the massive property.

Omen was amazed at the size of the grounds for the VA facilities. It was so big, it even had its’ own golf course. Omen got lost walking the grounds, but eventually found the building he had been told to visit. The wait was long, and Omen’s cell phone was dead. Due to regulations, the people working there were not even allowed to take Omen’s phone and charge cable from him to charge it, because their laws prevented any USB connections. As such Omen resigned to sit and wait until he was called to the back. He went through a couple quick meetings, being shuffled from room to room. Finally he met with an older gentleman who had alot of paperwork to complete for Omen. The man was so kind that as he processed the paperwork he allowed Omen to sit outside in his car, to charge his phone. Omen happily was able to send a few messages, letting everyone know he was still alive.

But as Omen checked his inbox, he had been contacted yet again by Sara. This had happened several times since Omen had left early that morning. Blake had also made it a point to contact him. While the words had been different, the message was the same. Omen recognized the point of the messages immediately. But Omen had also forgotten some very important things when he left. He had known of the plug box to charge his phone, and the charger for his laptop. But only after thinking more on it did Omen realize how much of his Sara still had. For on her key ring, Sara held the only two keys to the lock for the storage unit in Tennessee. This unit held everything Omen had left of value. Having experienced the selfishness of the Family, Omen knew his things would be in danger.

Omen replied to the message Sara had sent originally, as well as Blake’s first one. Both retorted with messages paragraphs long. Each one attempted to do exactly as they had verbally the day before Omen left, and as Sara had done repeatedly to Omen the entire time. They took known facts, and used them as the “main reasons” why everything had been Omen’s fault from the beginning. They called him an Oathbreaker for abandoning them, said he was nothing more than a liar. Sara also made it a point to deny over and over again having ever said or done anything to upset Omen, even blatantly going against words she had said days before. It was a disgusting attempt to make Omen feel bad for what he had done, and he was not about to fall for this same game ever again.

Omen responded the same as he always had. He told them the truth about what had been done to him specifically, his opinions on it, and his firm belief that they were acting both unfairly and selfishly. With Sara, Omen told her that she had some things of his, and he wished them returned. He did not want any form of conflict, nor did he want to argue. As such he suggested that she put the keys and essential charging devices into a bag, and give them to the front desk with instructions. In this way, they wouldn’t even have to see each other, but the items could be returned as was legal and fair.

But Sara would hear nothing of it. She told Omen that he owed her a great deal. She continued to demand that Omen pay back one-fourth of the college money she had taken from her son. She told Omen that if he wanted his things, she wanted what she believed to be hers. Even more than the money, what Sara seemed to want was Omen to come back to the hotel. She claimed that this was because she wanted Omen to apologize to them all for lying and for abandoning them. But even reading Sara’s messages as they popped up, Omen had a terrible feeling Something was wrong about the intent, but Omen could not place it.

Struggling for answers, Omen discussed the situation with Jamie. With her outside perspective on the facts surrounding the “habits” of Sara and those that followed her, her request played out much differently. This version made much more sense to Omen based on the situation. Sara cared little for an apology, though she would demand one to satisfy herself. The most basic way this story would play out ended with Omen being yet again verbally assaulted by the Family to “get the last word in” on Omen. But based on the recent actions, as well the lack of decency, there were other possibilities that were not so easily dealt with. For while inside the privacy of a hotle room, the Family could create any story of events they wished. The stories would always hold up, as it was the word of three against the word of one. They could claim anything, from attempted theft and destruction of property to assault and attempted murder. In doing so, they could ensure that Omen would suffer for leaving them. Omen assumed any action committed against him would simply be a play to boost their egos again. Omen had seen that their egos seemed to matter more than facts, so this became a serious possibility to consider.

Omen needed his items back. Without the ability to charge his phone or laptop, Omen would quickly lose contact with everyone. This was a thing Jamie would not stand for. Despite the expensive price tag to replace the items at Best Buy, the only store close to the VA, Jamie happily wired Omen enough money to cover it. She said she did this to ensure that Omen would not go back to the hotel, and put his safety and freedom in jeopardy. Omen happily accepted her gesture, and sent Sara a response to her idea. Omen told her that she could either give the items to the front desk, or they could deal with the legalities in court. Sara countered again with her insane demand for one-fourth of the money she had wasted. She also continued to enforce that she was never wrong, and that Omen simply misperceived her intent. But Sara had played her games one too many times, and Omen was aware of her tactics. Her mental manipulations would not work anymore, she would not fill Omen’s head with her lies. Finally, after Omen had become fed up with reading the essays Sara responded to him with each time, Omen stopped responding at all. He decided that he was done speaking to Sara or Blake through the Messenger, for he had made all his points clear. He decided to move on with his life, and leave the Family behind for good.

The VA provided Omen a bed at their facility. But this was only temporary, they said they would move him within a few days. But Omen asked for a special favor. For the rules of the place he was going forbid him to leave regularly for the first month. Omen was still in class, and very near graduation. He asked the VA if he could stay at the temporary residence until he completed the course. Because the facilities were designed to assist veterans in progressing on past their aid, they accepted Omen staying there for a period of four more days. This gave Omen time to finish the course, retrieve his things, and prepare to move to the new location. Omen was ready for the next step, but also keenly focused on lessons to learn in the present. For each new day brings new experiences, and further steps in learning.

While residing in the VA facility, Omen at least had food to eat. He got to shower in peace, and even washed his dirty clothes. He followed the rules, signing in and out as instructed. Omen finished his course without issue, actually enjoying several of the last days of it. The most prominent was the day spent learning from someone trained in the Praying Mantis form of martial arts. He gave an example of how to “focus one’s chi”, and asked everyone to close their eyes. He asked them to attempt to project their own chi energy with their eyes closed, that he might be able to evaluate those capable without any judgment being passed over those who could not. Having trained in much larger forms of energy projection, Omen was not surprised when his shoulder was touched, the instructor signaling that he could feel Omen’s chi focused properly.

After class, Omen handled his personal business. He had almost no money, and what he had he kept for cigarettes and the occasional drink. But he still enjoyed walking around Los Angeles and praying, even taking a few pictures for the sake of memory. Omen called Danny, who still had a few of his things. He asked if it would be possible for his things to be brought to the center, as the hours in which Danny were free Omen was not allowed to leave. Danny agreed, saying it would be the following day that he would be able to make the trip. Omen thanked Danny for his help, saying he hoped they would still remain friends. He told Danny that his issues with the Family were solely with them, and that he considered Danny a great person. They both claimed they would enjoy talking again when they saw each other.

The next day after supper, Omen sttod outside awaiting Danny. When he arrived he quickly got out of his car, and handed Omen the things he had requested. Most of it was personal paperwork, for Omen had little space to store anything else. He asked Danny to hold one of his most precious items until he was stable enough to retrieve it. This was the World Heavyweight Title Belt that Giselle had purchased for him years ago, during his first tour in Iraq. The belt was special to him in that it represented many things important to Omen personally. It represented the time when he was young, when he was able to wrestle and enjoy himself. It represented his transition into the Army, as he had won a title created amongst friends just before leaving. It also represented Omen’s acceptance of his position as a warrior in Hell’s Army, and his belief that if he continued to work hard he would become Hell’s Champion. Danny said this was not a problem, that the belt would be safe for as long as Omen needed it to be.

As they talked, Omen was hit with a terrible reality. According to Danny, Sara had followed through with her plan. Days after Omen had left, lost for other options and with no way to keep in contact, Sara and Norm left to his parents’ house. Just as she had threatened, they went alone, and had left Blake by himself with nowhere to go. Danny told Omen that he had found Blake walking the streets of Los Angeles and had picked him up. It was only when Danny told him that Omen realized Blake was still in the car right next to him. But he did not speak a word, feigning sleep each time Omen looked his way. But Omen knew the real reason for Blake’s silence. He was in pain, having been abandoned by the one he had cared for and followed for so long. He was ashamed that he had criticized Omen for speaking out on the unfairness of the very thing that now left him with no home. He was forcefully knocked out of the hypnosis by being left on his own with nothing by someone he had loved dearly. For these reasons Blake remained silent while Danny and Omen conversed, staying that way as the car drove off.

That evening Omen found himself in a strange situation. He had dealt with many things the last few days that had weighed on him heavily. As well he got criticism from every direction for ever leaving in the first place. Omen accepted the truth in their words, but he did as he felt compelled to by the Father. That night, as he stood outside talking to Jamie, his anger was enhanced. This happened due to the stories she was telling about how people were attacking her magically. This offended Omen for various reasons, stemming from abuse of magic to unprovoked assault, but the biggest among them was Omen’s feelings for Jamie. He had grown to care deeply for her, for she had been there every time that he had needed her. Hearing that people were attacking someone he cared about with magic, and that their attempts to stop it had failed, Omen’s rage at the situation grew.

As they were talking, someone in Jamie’s home would not stop dragging her away from their conversation. When Omen was trying to give Jamie a piece of advice she considered important, and he drug her attention away, Omen quickly fell into his rage. As their conversation drug on for minutes, and Omen was left to sit and stare at his phone, it grew worse. Omen hung up the phone, determined to prove that he was not to be brushed aside. He turned on his music and began to pray, channeling the emotions he felt inside. Inside the rage, Omen saw something else. He tapped in to it, and felt his strength grow immensely. He projected that energy as he stopped to take a picture of it. Then he continued to let the energy flow through him as his anger exploded out in song.

Jamie texted several times before Omen would respond to her at all. She asked first if there had been a problem with her phone, that maybe they had accidentally been cut off. But after a minute she realized the issue, asking Omen to forgive her for being rude. Omen ignored each message individually at first, reading them then putting his phone away. For as he had pushed that massive energy, he had fallen deep inside the rage. It flowed through him fully, wishing to rip the head off of whomever had interrupted his conversation. He felt Hatred burning inside him again, the will to destroy life for personal reasons. Omen struggled to contain himself as his will seemed pulled toward him projecting to Jamie’s house and attacking this person who he did not know.

Finally, after several minutes, Omen called Jamie back. Even as he was managing to push the Hatred he felt down, reducing the swell of it, he still spoke very harshly toward Jamie. Omen very sternly told her never to ignore him for the sake of mundane conversations ever again. Jamie’s voice grew quiet as she apologized for what she had done. Omen explained what was going on inside him, and the will that was projected. He checked the picture taken on his phone, and was surprised with his findings. He had been told that at times a strong aura can be photographed, but Omen never expected this. The entirety of the picture that was not Omen himself was bathed in a reddish-orange light. This picture had been taken with no flash, with only the street lights providing illumination. Omen immediately sent the photo to Jamie, who was equally surprised. Omen knew that the color of everything in the photo represented the strength of the Hatred he had been projecting. Omen had discovered an energy that had proven to be much stronger than any he had used previously, and as such Omen knew he would have to study it further.

Omen got to shoot a pistol for the first time, at a range for the course he was taking. Omen had been a soldier for over seven years, but had still never shot their standard handgun. This was because such weapons were reserved for the Officers, and for those they kept close and treated differently. Having never been one to suck up to his leadership, Omen had never been given the opportunity. But he wasn’t surprised when he qualified with ease at the assigned tasks for the range, missing only a select few shots. It brought back memories of his time spent firing his M-4 and M-16, and all that had to be done in order to make that happen. This range was much simpler, just more time consuming. But after qualifying at the range, Omen had completed all the assigned tasks for the course. The next day, he would receive his certificates. Omen allowed himself just the smallest bit of pride at having completed his schooling despite everything that had transpired. He was happy to have a picture taken of him accepting his certificates from the instructor. Now he could move on to the permanent shelter the VA had waiting for him.

The next day, a van came to retrieve Omen and his bags. Omen was packed and ready long before the van arrived, taking the time beforehand to purchase a few things. Omen did this because he had already been told the rules of the place he was going. He would not be allowed to leave at his leisure anymore, they had stricter standards for new residents. So Omen made a point to stock up on shaving cream, fresh razors, toothpaste, and body wash before he left. The van arrived an hour late, due to some issue that came up regarding a resident. But once it arrived Omen happily chatted with the man who he quickly found out was the Manager of the shelter. His name was John, and he seemed to care extensively about his job. He wanted to see veterans with problems be given a place to get over the issues that hold them down, so they can be ready to move on with their lives. The establishment was known as the VA Hollywood, due to it’s geographical location. This was a new experience to Omen, who had never visited this region of the state before. All he knew of it was what had been seen on television, which Omen knew meant little. As they drew close, there stood a giant church built by the religion called Scientology. Omen did not know much of this religion, save for what he had heard. He wondered what interesting treasures might lie inside such a magnificent building as he passed it. Soon afterward they passed a Burger King, which John said was a favorite of the residents due to it’s location. They pulled into an alleyway, and the van was stopped. John led Omen inside, told him to set his bags inside the office, and started the tour.

The building had once been a hotel, but now was used for a shelter. It had two large floors, with several rooms on each. The kitchen was huge, and stocked with various types of food. Meals were also brought in three times a day, the things on the shelves and in the fridge were for snacks. In the back sat several workout devices, though many looked old and barely functional. This was also one of the areas where smoking was allowed. Past that was a small area with chairs, which was used both for personal time and group therapy.They returned inside the building, and Omen was shown the various offices, as well as the room used for the majority of the group sessions. They went upstairs, and Omen was showed the setup of the rooms. He was also shown the balcony where residents went to smoke. Then they went down the stairwell on the backside of the building, and John showed Omen the laundry room. Then they made their way back into John’s office, so he could explain the rules to Omen.

The rules were extensive. This program normally was designed for those who had problems with drugs or alcohol, and thus require serious supervision. For the first 30 days Omen would need someone that had been there longer to sign them both out in order to leave the building. Each day there was a slew of classes that Omen was forced to attend, which lasted the majority of the morning and afternoon. Each night there was a group meeting before any of them were released to bed. They were very strict in every aspect of the word. Omen handed over his knuckles, along with two knives, so as not to be outside the rules. His system was tested for drugs or alcohol content, of which none was to be found. Omen had not shared in either for quite some time, and was not concerned about being unable to. Omen was also told that there was a curfew even for those that were allowed out, and during the late nights no one could leave. There was a list of objects that were not allowed to be brought in, as well as places that were considered off limits. These included places that made most of their money off alcohol, such as strip clubs and bars. Omen sighed at the laundry list of things he could not do, but knew he had no choice. He signed himself in, and was taken to his room.

The center was short on supplies when Omen arrived. They had neither a pillow nor a blanket for him to use. But as he sat in the bathtub, which sat in a room that adjoined each pair of living quarters, Omen refused to care. As he relaxed his muscles, using the Dead Sea salts he had purchased when he was married to Giselle, he heard singing. Omen looked out the window, and chuckled at what he saw. Next door to the shelter was a Korean-style church, and it was their worship that Omen was hearing. Omen’s room sat right next to the church’s property, which made the sound unavoidable. Only by putting on his headphones and listening to his music was Omen able to drown out the singing next door. But he did so, then lay down and plugged in his phone. He went downstairs, made himself a snack, then returned to his room.

Omen lay on his bed and conversed with Jamie through text. She asked if Omen was okay, how his mind was holding up considering all he had endured. He replied he was fine, and that he would find a way to survive. He told her about his situation, and all the rules they had placed on him. Jamie was saddened by this, as she knew it would steal away Omen’s right to wander the night and worship. But she promised to send Omen a “care package”, to make him feel better. Omen gave Jamie the address they had provided, excitedly awaiting whatever gifts she might send. For it had been quite some time since Omen had been given anything by another, and it was a welcome change. They conversed until they fell asleep with their phones on next to their sleeping faces, so that they might be as close to one another as possible. Omen felt a deeper connection to Jamie than he had ever felt, even since the day he met Giselle. Their energies connected both while they were awake and while they slept. Even with his life in turmoil, Omen was comforted by Jamie’s will to stand beside him. She had promised that she would find a way to fly up to California in June, to celebrate Omen’s birthday with him.

The days seemed to pass in a blurring line, with few details to separate one from another. Every class was a different variance on the same process. It was designed to deal with the issues commonly present in veterans. Alcoholism, drug abuse, depression, anxiety, PTSD, and a slew of others are common conditions that develop in soldiers. Every group session was either a class on or an activity concerning dealing with these issues. Once a week they even had an art class, where a subject would be given for them to draw. Omen’s first drawing was a large inverted pentagram, drawn in red and black. When asked why he had drawn such a picture Omen replied, “You said draw what is most important to me”. Omen drew lines in the sand very quickly, making his religious choices well known to all. Omen refused to hide who he was for the sake of anyone, this had been a direct order from the Father. And while this raised a few eyebrows, and caused some concern amongst the Christian residents, it was accepted without complaint. The center had known before Omen came that he would not allow his religion to be forced down, because that was his right as an American.

After class, Omen went several times to the area behind the building. Having become fed up one night at the sounds coming from next door, Omen had decided he would stand for it no more. He went out the back door, and paced up and down the alleyway screaming. He sang several songs, directing the power of his voice straight at those who had forced Omen to listen to their worship. Omen felt it had come due time that they were forced to deal with his in the same way, as well he was tired of not singing at all. His voice exploded out, sending the churchgoers away from the building quickly as they exited. Omen’s smile was wide as he sang, and he had an evil look in his eyes. “Maybe next time,” Omen thought to himself, “they’ll be more careful about what their worship awakens”.

The majority of Omen’s free time was spent talking to Jamie. They texted from the moment both awoke until Omen was forced to put away his phone and go to class. It started again afterward, and lasted through the majority of the day. They talked about everything they each had on their minds. They discussed their individual futures, as well as the problems they faced. They talked at great length about the Father, and how much they both adored Him. They both admitted how happy they were to have someone to talk to that understood their perspective, and did not judge them based on faith. As they spoke so constantly, the bond between them grew deep quickly. It was not long before Omen and Jamie considered each other their chosen companion, and wished nothing more than to be together. They had discussed this many times, but the distance between them remained an issue. They pushed their distance aside, allowing themselves to grow close to one another without physical contact.

But according to Jamie, there was a serious issue. She said she was being attacked by a spirit. Not just any spirit, the one spoken of in many volumes as Asmodeus. The attacks were unprovoked, but they were done with cause. For Asmodeus was not only coming to her in spirit, affecting her home and her life, but he had taken a Human for himself. This one was willing, more than happy to trade his will for Power. Asmodeus was attempting to influence her decision, so she would be forced to go to his channel. His goal was to produce a child with Jamie, a move which Omen found strange. Until later that week, when he was allowed to go out for the day. He chose to go watch Ghost Rider 2 in the theatre, for he had been waiting for it’s release. After watching the movie, the reason was clear. Asmodeus held a Human under his control, and desired a Human with Power of their own to make a child with. In doing so the child would be born with a direct connection to the Demon, and he would be easier capable of controlling them.

Omen did his best to help Jamie fight off the will of Asmodeus. He prayed to the Father daily for strength to assist him in this effort. For Jamie had been very clear in her description of the situation. Asmodeus did not want her to be with her or to love her, only to create a child. She had become concerned that this childbirth might have fatal consequences, as is often the case with births of this level. They searched across the Internet for information that might be useful in aiding them. They spent each day together coming up with new magical strategies to mitigate the damage the energy was causing. Jamie cleansed, saged, and salted her home, attempting to drive the spirit away. Omen fought in spirit each day against the things he felt present in her home. But even as Omen struck Asmodeus with the Holy Fire, which he had mastered with Abbadon’s help, the Demon was only phased momentarily. Eventually Omen would manage to drive him back, but it would take almost every ounce of his energy to do so. And even this did not solve the issue for long, Jamie’s problems only seemed to worsen.

The Demon held her down and assaulted her body with his energy. He fought Omen as well, assaulting his mind with worry and sadness. For no reason Omen was driven down inside his own deep-seeded pain, things he had not even considered in years. Jamie had her dreams invaded, as Asmodeus would take her wherever he wished. He would use creative imagery to lure her in to a false sense of security, then proceed to reveal himself and have his way with her. As all this went on, the channel continue to force his will for Jamie to come see him, to make the child as was instructed. No matter the type of magic used, Asmodeus could not be controlled. He made the lives of both Jamie and Omen miserable as he attempted to force the lives of multiple people to line up according to his will. The only reference they could find to any sort of weapon used against the Demon was inside the Christian Bible. It referenced the need for pieces of a slatefish, but those were not to be found anywhere nearby. Other references existed inside the Enochian Magics used by King Solomon when he imprisoned the Demon, but Omen could not find where the answer lie.

Omen felt horrible for the situation Jamie found herself in. He also grew tired of the center where he stayed, because of the limitations it placed on him. His issue lie in the fact that, even after a month of doing exactly as he was told, he would still be forced to attend several classes each week. This meant that if Omen was to go to school, he would have to sacrifice studying time for a useless reason. This would also affect any job he could get, as Omen found out they had limits on the kind of job and amount of hours that could be worked. Omen saw that if he continued to stay at the shelter he would be trapped there for a very long time, and have little to show for it. After discussing this with Jamie several times, they decided to fix all their problems at once. Omen would come to stay with Jamie in Pennsylvania. She would not charge him rent, but would ask his help with tasks that needed done. Also there was a Community College nearby where Omen could finally use the monies he had earned his first term in the Army. For regardless of the nature of a discharge, as long as it is not Dishonorable, if a soldier has re-enlisted their original discharge is Honorable. This gives them full rights to all the associated GI Bill money that they had already paid into. And the GI Bill Omen paid into afforded him money for housing as well. This would give him some money to get back on to his feet with as he went to school.

Omen informed the leaders of the shelter that he would be leaving. They questioned the validity of his decision at first, wondering why he wanted to leave so bad. Omen responded that their system was designed to keep him inside it, and that he could not stand for. As well he was upset with them for taking the residents to visit the ocean, then not even allowing Omen to go to the water because others wanted to leave. Omen said that, while their shelter was nice, and good for the people that it was designed to help, Omen was not some recovering addict that needed structure. He needed freedom, and the right to move on with his life. Omen saw the shock on the faces of the Counselors at the shelter, for it was people constantly begging for more help that they were used to dealing with. By the time the conversation was over, Omen had a ride to the airport, from another of the residents, who would be released to take him. Omen bought the ticket, finalized his business in California as best he could, and awaited the day he would finally be free from all that following Sara had caused him.

Jamie prepared as well. They discussed the itinerary, and how things would be arranged. They talked about all that Omen should expect once he arrived. Omen was well aware of Jamie’s teenage daughter, of age to be considered a grown woman in her own right. Omen also was well aware of her granddaughter, a beautiful young girl with curly blonde hair. Omen knew this would be a new experience for him, as he had never been in this kind of situation before. But his strong love for Jamie gave Omen a resolve to push forward past the fear. Omen wanted, for her sake, not only to be able to coexist with the family but become a part of it. He swore that he would find a way to do so as he boarded the flight away from Los Angeles, thanking the Father for freeing him from the prison of the shelter.

14

The flights had been long. There had been delays at the airports. At one point, Omen was told he would be stranded overnight. But he pressed on, never listening to their constant pessimism. Finally Omen landed in Pennsylvania, and felt the stinging bite of the winter cold as he exited the plane. Omen proceeded down the corridor, searching for Jamie. He found her waiting just before the escalators down to the baggage claim area. She caught sight of him just after he began moving toward her. Jamie rushed to Omen, and jumped into his arms. They kissed each other, and Omen spent a minute holding Jamie in his arms. Jamie was tiny of stature, standing only to Omen’s chest. Thus it was easy for Omen to hold Jamie in his arms, happy to finally be at her side. After Omen set Jamie back down, they went and collected Omen’s bags. They hopped in Jamie’s car, and drove the road back to her home.

As they drove the two chatted happily about how excited they were to be together. They drove far from the airport, down through the roads lined with trees. The route seemed like it would be an interesting one to walk in worship. They went up a large hill, turning right into a trailer park. They wove around the area, finally coming to a stop. The trailer was dirty from the moss that had developed over too much time spent without maintenance. The front porch was rotting, the wood of the rails looking like it would fall off at any time. But inside, the trailer was well maintained. While small, the space was efficiently used. The bedrooms were reserved for Angelica, Jamie’s daughter, and Katrina, her granddaughter. The bathroom, and the washer and dryer were also on this end of the house.

Next to the front door was the kitchen. The counters and fridge wrapped around the edge of the room, connecting to the open areas for food storage. Inside the room Jamie had managed to fit both a kitchen table and the desk where her computer sat. The room that adjoined it was Jamie’s, and they were only separated by curtains and sheets. The bed was a mattress and box spring on the floor, situated in the far corner of the room. Spread around the room were a wide assortment of toys, though they had been cleared off the floor itself. On the side of the room sat a couch and a tv, at the edge of the blanket that hung over the entrance to the room. Jamie had done her best to fit dressers and decorations into the room without creating a lack of space. Omen sat his bags down next to the edge of the bed, and pulled out his hygenical items and towel. He asked if the shower was available, as he had been in transit for some time.

As Jamie led Omen back to the bathroom, Omen stopped to introduce himself to Angelica. She sat in the back room with her friends, and Omen caught a familiar odor in his nostrils. Apparently someone in this circle of friends smoked weed as well. Omen wondered, when he acquired the funds, if he might be able to purchase a bit for himself. For it had been quite some time since Omen had been able to truly relax. The only times in his life he could remember being truly calm were before he joined the Army, when he sat and smoked with his friends. And the few times he had shared with Sara, Omen had felt the same level of calm. He thought that maybe if he relaxed, he would be able to let go of all the stress of the recent months. But Omen ignored that for the moment, focusing on taking a shower.

Omen took the time to clean himself completely. After all, this was his first time seeing Jamie, and he did not want to make a bad first impression. Once he was clean and trim he went back to her room. She was sitting on the edge of her bed, typing away on her phone. Omen sat down next to her, which caused her to quickly draw her phone close to her chest. Jamie commented on how good Omen smelled, which he explained was a combination of body wash and spray that he had used for some time. She asked if he was hungry, to which Omen responded that he had not eaten all day. They went into the kitchen, and Jamie used her grease fryer to make Omen some chicken strips and fries. Omen sat and enjoyed his warm meal as he and Jamie continued to converse. But at times Omen couldn’t even find words to express his feelings for Jamie. More than once he was found to just be staring into her eyes, feeling a pull from them that he could not explain. Omen hoped that with time he would relax, and be more capable of speaking plainly with Jamie.

After eating they lay down in bed together and watched TV. After a time they could not control themselves any longer, and ripped one another’s clothes off. All the energy and passion Omen had felt from a distance he attempted to draw in from Jamie. But she was still hesitant, due to her life choices. Prior to Omen Jamie had been a lesbian for 8 years, by her own repeated admission. They had spoken many times of Jamie’s past, that it might be understood who she was. But Omen never judged her for her choices, for based on her life he could understand. She had gone through 2 failed marriages, and had been abused both physically and mentally. She attributed this trait to all men, and then began dating women. But after years of experience, as she put it, “Bitches are crazy”. Jamie admitted that she had spoken to many different people over the last year or so, deciding what she wanted for herself. But she claimed Omen was the only one she truly felt safe with, the one she knew would never harm her. As Omen lay inside Jamie, he hoped someday to heal her from the pain of her past.

The next morning Omen adjusted to the routine of the home. Katrina woke early, and demanded assistance and attention. She would refuse to stay in her room, but usually was easily taken care of. The simple process of frying hash browns and opening the website for her to watch her cartoon videos on the computer was usually enough to start the child’s day. The television was left on Nick Jr. at all times, because there were shows on it the child enjoyed. Even though she had a TV in her own room, she insisted on being close to Jamie. Her grandmother seemed to be her whole world, as she called on her “Nana” for everything. When Katrina was ignored, even for a second, she would scream for her Nana at the top of her lungs. Omen understood this behavior was normal for a child of her age, still learning about proper discipline. What Omen found strange was that the behavior she was showing Julie was usually given to the mother of a child.

It didn’t take long to understand why this condition existed. Katrina had been born when Angelica was very young. Angelica was not yet ready to give up her teenage freedom, and seemed to leave the responsibilities of being a parent to her mother. Thus daily Jamie acted as both mother to Katrina and keeper of the home, while Angelica spent most of her days in the back room with her friends. As he came to realize this Omen made a point to spend more time playing with Katrina. Omen was once a child whose parents seemed not to care for him. He knew the damage that it does to a child internally to feel unwanted by their parents and those around them. Jamie was stressed to her limit from doing generally everything alone for so long, and didn’t want Katrina hanging all over her. This caused a constant conflict of interest, as Katrina sought attention while Jamie sought peace and quiet.

Omen was not completely unfamiliar with the upkeep of a home. As such he began to assist Jamie in various chores, as well in things he could do to assist with Katrina. By the third day it was Omen who began to wake up at the time allotted to let Katrina out of her room, so that Jamie could rest more. The tasks were monotonous and repetitious, but Omen performed each one happily. he hoped that by doing so it would give them more time to spend together in the evenings, that they might grow as a couple. For the daytime was too chaotic to accomplish anything, as the constant demands of the child were never-ending. But through effort Omen became so efficient at the chores that the entire house seemed to be clean within hours, even giving time for them to work on things that had been neglected. They worked together to scrub the grime off the outside of her house. Omen helped Angelica and her friends clear out tree branches in an area behind the trailer. None of these chores bothered Omen particularly, they gave him something to do.

But despite the seeming growth in the relationship, problems arose. The Human that had been trying to force Jamie to come to him, by the order of Asmodeus, began to message her again. He warned her that she would not get away, that he would find a way to make her his own. But these messages were dealt with, while many others remained in their place. For Jamie seemed to have a terrible habit, one involving her phone. She seemed to only put it down to be charged, then carried it with her again everywhere. She was constantly on it, messaging one person or another. Jamie admittedly was quite sought after in messages and texts by many people for a variety of things. But even in the times where Omen was trying to spend serious time alone with Jamie discussing important details of their relationship, her fingers seemed to work to the bone talking to someone. Out of the many people that were on this list, three stood above the rest.

The first was one of her Facebook friends, Jean. Though she lived halfway across the world, and they had never seen one another, they had bonded with each other deeply. For quite some time they considered themselves in a relationship, before Jamie decided to go back to men. Jean did not accept her precious lover’s decision, and wanted her back more than anything. She was an alcoholic, and used this excuse to constantly pull Jamie back in with sympathy. For every time she drank the woman was rotten, spouting Hatred in posts on people’s walls just to start drama. This was done with Omen personally more than once, as she belittled him on the public forum. When Omen told Jamie to deal with her mouthy friend, the only response he seemed to get was that she was sorry. She explained that she felt Jamie needed her in order to overcome her problem, that without that closeness she might go insane. Omen tried to accept this situation, but found it very hard to. For with her constant posting of photos and comments specifically referring to sexual actions she wanted with Jamie, and Jamie’s want to respond to them as acceptable, made Omen sick to his stomach. Omen confronted Jamie, but she seemed not to even hear him. This gave Jean more want to spout vileness at Omen about how she would split them apart, how Jamie was meant to be only with her.

But this paled in comparison to the other problem the relationship faced. Another of Jamie’s exes, Sonya, lived in the neighborhood. She was closely tied to all the other residents of the trailer park, a trusted friend. At first, out of respect for Omen, Sonya was not even allowed to come inside the house. It was only after Omen agreed to let Sony come over as a family friend to visit that she did so. Omen allowed this because she did hang out with and smoke with Angelica, and the girl had complained that Omen was interfering. Omen did not want to stand in the way of people spending time together, simply for it to be known that he and Jamie were together. But his kindness was quickly abused, the vileness in Sonya showing past the shiny cross she wore on her chest. She claimed to be a faithful Christian, but he actions proved otherwise.

Before long, Sonya was running the relationship between Omen and Jamie. She did this by constantly taking Jamie away from the home to go “run errands”, leaving Katrina at the trailer with Omen. This made Omen feel more like an indentured servant than a partner, and hurt him inside terribly. Jamie spent the majority of her days texting both Sonya and Jean, constantly claiming that she was not. She also had a habit of taking her phone with her into the bathroom each night, so she could speak privately with them. Also, Sonya had told Omen that their bond was so strong she could feel each time Omen touched Jamie, and begged her to solve this issue. Suddenly, Jamie became distant physically and emotionally, as Sonya wrapped her ex back around her finger.

Omen sat Jamie down and brought all his issues to the table. He would not hold in his feelings like he had with Sara, not with someone he cared for so much. He begged Jamie to see the mistake she was making, to think about his feelings for once. She responded harshly, saying she was doing nothing wrong, and Omen should be more secure in himself. She said Omen would never understand the depths of bonding that exist in a lesbian relationship, and Jamie claimed to be having difficulty leaving that behind. Omen gritted his teeth and dealt with the offenses, simply because he wanted the relationship to work. He went out into the night, singing out to the Father for guidance. Omen begged for help, so that this relationship might be saved. The other residents of the trailer park called the police, who stopped Omen’s singing on the side of the road. But after telling them the truth about his faith and what he was doing, they recorded his name for reference and left. No matter what else went on, Omen would never be denied his faith.

The situation only seemed to get worse. Three days after he had arrived, Jamie started her period. But the bleeding continued on, the flow just as heavy as the first day. After a week of this Jamie scheduled a doctor’s appointment to be examined. There was no explanation for the extensiveness of the bleeding, but still it continued. Jamie grew weaker every day from the loss of blood. Jean and Sonya took this opportunity to blame Omen for her complications, saying he had done something to harm her. Omen fought back against the accusations, but mistrust seemed to be developing. Now Omen was being looked down upon by Jamie as he struggled to find a solution. But he refused to give up on her, for he believed she meant her words about loving him.

After about a week and a half, another complication. Jean had been blocked again due to her harassment of Jamie when she was drunk. But in her place came another, named Shawn. He also felt a need to constantly post pictures referring to wants for love and sex and Jamie’s wall. Omen stood against this immediately, claiming there was no reason for her to do it. For while Jean and Sonya represented an aspect of Jamie’s life that Omen could not be a part of, another male did not fall in this same category. But just like the others, Jamie allowed Shawn to post pic after pic, even calling him her “boyfriend” on Facebook. Omen had no idea what else he could say to get through to Jamie, who thought the one person Omen was talking to was the one harming her. But Omen only spoke to Kindra, and only for advice on what he might do to fix things. In order to support Jamie in all things, Omen showed his dedication to her by magically attacking Kindra. SHe felt it immediately, and at that point had to stop talking to Omen for awhile. Even Omen knew that Kindra was not the cause of the issue, but he still strove to prove to her that he cared.

Then one day, Omen awoke to find Jamie missing. She came back later, and Sonya was with her. Jamie’s eyes seemed almost blank as she walked back to the bathroom. Sonya proceed to inform Omen that he had three days to find a place to go. She said she knew some shelters in the area, but that Omen would either leave by choice or be forced to. Sonya left the trailer, and Omen went to find Jamie, desperate to know what was going on. But as he asked her if she was going to allow this, he was met with the same blank stare. Jamie stated that she would be leaving soon, to take Katrina to the park as she had promised. Omen agreed with this decision, as Katrina rarely got out of the house. About fifteen minutes later Jamie and Katrina left with Sonya for the park.

Omen didn’t waste a second. Jamie had made her decision, now Omen would make his. He raced back and forth through the empty house, collecting all of his belongings. Back they went into the same three bags, a process Omen had become quite skilled at. In his anger at her treatment, Omen ripped in half a present he had made for Jamie while he was at the shelter in California. As he was almost finished, Angelica came back home. She asked Omen what he was doing, and he told her the truth. She was visually shocked, and swore that she thought Omen and her mother were doing well. But she understood when he explained it to her. Angelica rolled up a sizable joint, and they smoked together as Omen awaited his taxi. Right as they finished it rolled up in front of the trailer, and Omen tossed his bags inside. He gave Angelica a hug, told her to do the same for Katrina, and hopped in the cab. He was crying as he departed the trailer, but he knew it was for the best.

But Omen had no money left for a hotel. His mother, hearing the situation, had provided the funding to cover his train ride home. In desperation, Omen contacted his father. This was something he hated doing, as the relationship was strained at best. But he was relieved when, after taking time to discuss it with Omen’s step-mother, he sent his information to a motel 6 nearby. Omen checked into his room, dropped his bags, and prepared for the evening. His mother had sent him just enough money to cover food and cigarettes for the evening, and the cab fares from Jamie’s house to the train. So Omen went and acquired these things, making sure to save a few dollars for the trip. For it would take more than a day to reach Illinois, and there was a changeover in Chicago. But Omen decided that physical starvation was better than the emotional pain he was enduring.

It was only about a half hour after Omen left that Jamie returned home. Not long after that she became completely aware of the fact that Omen had left. Omen’s phone blew up with messages, sent on every forum. Jamie begged Omen’s forgiveness, and claimed she was dealing with more than he knew. She claimed to have been very clouded lately, even denying knowledge of several of their conversations. She asked him not to leave, swore that she would do more to make him happy. Jamie said she loved Omen, that she needed him by her side, and she wanted him to come back to her.

It was several hours before Omen responded the first time. He had been asked by several people not to do so at all. But Omen knew once his mind was made up no words could sway him. When he finally texted back, he refused her apology. He told Jamie that she had treated him horribly, and refused to even once put his feelings first. This violated a promise Jamie had made before Omen had ever arrived, and Omen would not stand for liars. He went on to say that she had put the wants and needs of ex-girlfriends before the needs of the one she claimed to be with now. She had no want to change those things about herself that hurt Omen, even as he did everything to change for her. This was the worst form of one-sided relationship, extending even so far as their vampiric habits.

Like Omen, Jamie took energy vampirically. For her was usually done as people stared into her eyes, even in photos on Facebook. Omen gave this of Jamie a nickname, calling it the “Black Diamond”. Omen knew from his own personal experience the effect it had. It sought after energy, creating a form of “pull”. Those who stared into her eyes, even in pictures, and wanted what they saw inside, were drawn to this Diamond. The way Omen had explained it to Jamie, “It shines in the the most brilliant of light, making one only want to draw nearer”. But the shine of the Gem was not limited to just one person. Many exist on Facebook who are looking and wanting, and they too catch the shine of the Gem. If they are allowed to stare too closely, they will become entranced by it. In this method they are fed from, but they also grow deeply attached. This was proven in all the situations that had arisen recently. Sonya started getting of Jamie’s time, then refused to give any back. Jean was given the right to speak and post pictures again, but lost it due to the same abuses within weeks. Now even this new person Shawn had been drawn in, and demanded her for himself. This was a game that Omen refused to continue playing.

Omen left the motel, walking out towards the nearby businesses. In between was the bridge for the Highway, with a street that ran underneath. With the moon shining brightly above him, Omen exploded in song. Even in this moment, when life seemed to be falling apart, Omen knew where to turn. He felt the Father’s Presence beside him as he sang, daring even to walk the hill next to the Highway. Omen was fearless in his song, screaming out at people he caught staring. He had grown tired of people’s criticism, for many of them were not nearly as capable as Omen. Few had gone through even half of the torment that Omen had just recently faced their entire lives. Omen saw them as mindless puppets, following only the preset standards they were given. For that is the mind of the world at large, hypnotized by the lies of religion and government. But Omen strove to find a way to change these ignorant viewpoints, to show people they were still being lied to. This was the most prominent want inside Omen, and he recognized it came straight from the Father. Whatever else he might do with his life, this was to be his main function. Armed with this knowledge, Omen was able to fight off the pain, and come back into peace with the Father.

Omen went to eat dinner.The food mattered little, as the stress of recent events weighed on Omen. Jamie continued to ask Omen if he would come back and talk to her. Omen replied that if Jamie wanted to see him, she could come to his hotel room. Excuses continued to fly as to the reason why this could not be done. Through this Omen recognized the true intent. She wanted to bring Omen back, find a way to apologize, and convince him to stay. A common trick, one Omen had watched his own mother use many years ago, along with Sara more recently. Omen laughed at the perceived “mind games” of females, and all the times in his life he had been forced to defeat them. For Omen told every woman he ever intended to be with the same thing, “I don’t play games, and I don’t put up with them being played on me”. As Jamie refused to come to the hotel, Omen finally laid down to sleep.

The next morning, he jumped in the same cab he had used the day before. He had made prior arrangements with the driver to be there in the morning, so he did not have to wait on a ride. He traveled to the nearest train station, about 20 minutes away. Omen entered the station, and filled out the required forms. He had already purchased his ticket online, so this was just the method of picking them up. After getting his tickets, Omen went and purchased some snacks and drinks at the stand. They were overpriced as expected, but this would be Omen’s last chance. Then Omen went outside and smoked as he waited for the train to arrive. During this time, he received many messages. His mother wanted to know the itinerary, what time he should be expected in Illinois. His father wanted to ensure he was safely at the station. Also Jamie continued to text Omen about her sadness at losing him, and how she wished she could make it right by him. Omen told her not to concern herself with such things, that she had chosen what she felt was best for herself. He told Jamie he hoped she would find what made her happy, even if that was not Omen.

The train ride was long and boring. Omen did his best to pass the time listening to his music and reflecting on all the events of the last several months. He knew he was still missing something, that all these trials had a reason. He reached into his pocket, pulling out the sigil of Lucifer he was carrying. This had been the replacement token of faith that he had carried, but it had refused to be worn around Omen’s neck. No matter the chain or cord used to tie the sigil, it found a way to fall off. Thus Omen had begun carrying it in his pocket instead, so as not to lose the sigil entirely. He sat on the train, flipping it between his fingers, as he found himself prone to do every time the object was held. He tried to locate an answer, for Omen figured if he found what he searched for the misery would end.

Jamie continued to speak to Omen, professing her undying true affection. Omen responded that his feelings for her had never died, simply his want to be tortured to be with her. The words mattered little, for every time Omen had Internet access the same things were being done. Still the pictures flowed, still Jamie seemed to ask for more. Shawn’s posts were spread across her wall in all form and fashion. And through further examination, she had done the same for him. Omen told Jamie that as long as she continued this pattern of selfishness that Omen would not be with her. Thus the texting slowed, becoming more focused on aspects outside their relationship. Omen began to let the texts flow without thinking about them at all, the responses he sent total automation. For inside, Omen was broken. During the ride, Omen sought to deal with the chaos inside him. The emotions were managed as Omen was used to doing. He thought his way through the spect of the pain that caused it to exist first, for without this step the rest was useless. Then he took the energy of the pain that clawed at his chest and forced it inside, into the swirling ball that had always existed at Omen’s center.

Omen had the definition of the “center” explained to him many times. Most saw it as a spinning ball inside the body which manages the energies of the major chakras. It has been defined as several of the chakras themselves, the most prominent being the heart and solar plexis. But as Omen had spent much time looking inward, he had found something else. While he could feel the spinning energies associated with the chakras, the energy of the center was much more elusive. As the Human mind and body fluctuate between efforts of faith and effort of worldly necessity, the center seemed to move between the chakras, focusing itself on the ones most necessary for the task. Thus the center could not be any of the chakras individually, for they remain in their own locations. Omen continued to evaluate himself, searching for his own true center.

Then, Omen realized his mistake. The energy that bound the chakras together, the center of energies, was what Christians referred to as the soul. The energy that binds to the body, allowing all the amazing and complex aspects of Humanity to exist. If this was the case, then the energy Omen sought was the essence of his own soul. This gave Omen more reason to seek success, that he might understand what it was he felt inside himself. Omen dropped even further into his evaluation of himself. He tried to visualize himself as energy inside a shell. He saw the aura that projected out from him, as well the spinning of the chakras inside. Omen tried to “stare” at each thing, to locate the heart of their power.

As he did this, Omen had a memory of the past. Long before Omen had accepted the Father purely, he was unsure of his path. He sought answers inside Wicca, a religion a fellow solider in his unit practiced. But when he requested that she teach him, he was forcefully denied. He was told that he was never to be trained, for the risk was too great. When he inquired why, the answer was not a simple one. “I can see you, both inside and out. Your aura projects a dark black that seems to enhance the Darkness around it. But when I stare inward further, what lies inside is worse. It is undefinably evil, and with such a strong energy inside you I cannot train you in magic. Such would upset the Balance of energies, and my kind are prevented from doing this.”

As he thought back on this, Omen tried to search for this energy. He tried to remember the feelings he had weeks before, when he stood enraged in the parking lot of the shelter. He went back further, remembering the times with Sara. He digressed even further still, into his history with the Army. Omen tapped into his own mind during those times, focusing on the feelings inside. He began to see a pattern, and focused on it. Inside the pattern Omen located a feeling that seemed to overcome him each time he was pushed too far. In doing so he located an energy that was separate from all the others. Omen searched for this energy in his current state, but it seemed to have hidden itself away. But Omen knew that next time he was overcome in such a way, he would be able to find what he searched for. In the meantime, Omen was content to worship the Father, and thank Him for giving Omen the next step in his search.

After over a day of transfer and travel, Omen finally arrived in Bloomington. His mother was there to pick him up, and they quickly left for the house. Omen’s mother criticized him for his actions, saying he would have been better off in California. Omen denied this for a variety of reasons, but most of which she did not want to hear. For they involved his devotion to the Father, something that Omen’s mother could not tolerate. Though she almost never attended church, and her habits were selfish and vile, she called herself a Christian. Her home had huge displays of angels, her belief in her own false faith. But she remained as such, professing things she did not act upon. Additionally, she decided to place judgment on the beliefs of her only son. She made a slew of rules for Omen to follow. She demanded that he not practice his faith in her home. She wanted Omen to pretend to be someone he was not. She demanded things of him that Omen knew he would not be able to give. But Omen was used to pushing past the arrogance of his mother, for he had done it for years. At times his mother could be quite stubborn, but she was reasonable. Once something was explained logically, usually she would relax. Omen hoped this would be the case as they drove back to the house.

As he walked inside, Omen was rushed by one of the dogs. He stopped and petted her for a second, but continued to search the house. Soon afterward he found what he was looking for, and rushed to greet his friend. Harley was his favorite of all the dogs his mother had owned. He was a cocker spaniel, with fur of pure black. He was the first dog that Omen had gotten to live with and bond, once h had reached the age where things of that nature mattered. Harley had slept in bed with Omen almost every night during his years before the Army, when he last stayed here. Harley was the closest friend Omen felt he had, as he was the only one that did not betray. Omen hugged Harley for several minutes, taking time to scratch the dog’s favorite spots, causing his leg to kick. It had been too long since Omen was able to spend time with Harley, for the last time with Sara he had been too busy taking care of her needs. Harley was not the same now as he had been however. He had gone blind and deaf due to various conditions the doctors diagnosed. But he had not lost his spirit or his intelligence. Even blind, Harley still managed to make his way through the two-floor house. Even in his old age, Harley made a point to go to the bathroom outside.

Angel rushed forward, licking Omen in the face. Of all the dogs, Angel had always been the most energetic. She was also a cocker spaniel like Harley, but her fur was a dark blonde. Angel had been bought when Harley had been found not to be enough companionship for Omen’s mother, primarily because he chose to spend his time with Omen. Angel had always been her “Mommy’s baby”, and she had the habits of a spoiled child. She was stubborn, randomly would mess in the house, and even “talked back” at times, neither growling nor barking but a combination that resembled speech. All these traits made her extremely endearing, despite the effort required to clean up after her. Omen spent time with them both as his face was soaked with Angel’s slobber. Omen laughed joyously, for the love of the animals was the most want for him that he had felt in some time.

Omen stood back up, picking his bags up again. He went back into the same room where he and Sara had stayed during his last visit. But the air mattress was gone. In its place was a twin-sized bed pushed up against the left wall. It had three drawers underneath it, and the wood of it was painted black. Next to the bed, at the far edge of the room, was a small nightstand. Omen’s mother explained that because she and her husband slept in separate rooms, due to his breathing condition, this was the only room available. And the computer desk would remain, as this would still be their office. Omen sighed at the cramped space, being reminded of the shelter in California. But as he built the cheap plastic closet that his mother had bought at a yard sale, Omen knew he would make the best of it.

There was a knock at the door. James, Omen’s step-father, entered the room. He said hello and gave Omen a hug. Then he sat down at the computer, to work on burning movies. For James had a program that allowed him to download entire movies, then burn them onto blank DVDs. In this way Omen’s mother had sent him tons of movies over the years, until he had stopped speaking to her. James complained about how he had just had to buy the newest software, and how expensive it had been. Omen looked through the collection of the movies James had made, selecting some of his favorites. He said he would watch them when he had a chance. Once Omen had unpacked most of his things, his mother requested that they all go relax in the jacuzzi. Omen agreed, knowing this would be just the kind of relaxing break he needed.

The three shared drinks as they sat in the jacuzzi, discussing many things. The question arse as to what Omen was to do next. He said that he’d had been considering a career in mechanics for some time. This brought a smile to his mother’s face, as her father had done the same. They discussed option for making this happen, most of which only lacked a means of transportation. But Omen would also have to make contact with the VA, and set up appointments for himself. If Omen was ever to receive any form of disability for the variety of injuries he had suffered in the Army, he would have to undergo more testing. This was largely in part due to the way in which the Army had forced him out, not allowing these tests to be done. They made plans to make appointments for Omen to deal with this issue, and his mother said she would drive. Omen finally seemed able to focus on his individual life for a change. It had suffered much damage, but he felt it could all be fixed.

15

It had been about a month since Omen had moved into his mother’s house. He had been trying to work on a variety of issues, but seemed to encounter serious roadblocks at every turn. Omen went to the VA offices to start his evaluation process. But their system was so flooded with veterans seeking aid that it was weeks before Omen could see a primary provider. The doctor had just recently had issues of her own, and had braces on both legs. But she evaluated Omen’s list of issues reasonably, setting up tests to look in to them further. But the tests were booked solid for moths, and there was no guarantee when Omen would be called to go. But while there Omen was checked over more than once, and some things were discovered. Omen had suffered minor hearing loss in his right ear, the one which had sat next to weapon as he fired at the range. And finally, they had allowed him a chance to be diagnosed photophobic. Omen had told the Army for years about his sensitivity to light, but they refused to believe him. But now, Omen finally had medical proof that his sunglasses were not just a fashion statement.

The last doctors he saw were mental, and they evaluated all that Omen had been through. He was honest with them, only omitting details which he knew would just cause problems. After the conversations Omen was sent to the pharmacy, to pick up medication. Another thing his mother had demanded was that Omen get some form of medication, to “control himself”. Omen did not understand his mother’s belief in the pills. After all, Omen had been given a variety of them during his military service. They had dulled him each time, producing nothing like the intended result. They never controlled anxiety, depression, or anger, but they did seem to dull the mind into complacency. Once, while in Iraq, Omen had done as instructed by his doctor in case of emergency. He took an extra pill beyond his normal dosage, because he had important missions to complete. The entire day Omen had felt like a mindless robot, emotionless but effective. After reaching this point once, Omen swore never to do it again. He would not force pills into himself designed to dull the activity in his brain. This was ignorance, and attempt to chemically control what was Created. It also was found to cut off the spiritual connection severely, making communication with the Father more difficult. After less than two weeks Omen stopped taking the medication, simply holing the jar in his home.

Omen found joy in going out walking. He went and sang up and down the streets of Pekin, caring little for the opinions of others nearby. Omen had no money, but he still treasured what he had. Despite his mother’s pleas for him to abandon the Father, Omen maintained his faith. Even as she complained so much about the pendant around his neck that he was forced to change it to pacify her. The one she wanted him to wear in its place depicted a snake and a flame, which she figured suited what she knew about her son. Omen attempted to wear the necklace, but got a terrible feeling from it. Thus Omen continued to wear his symbol of faith, simply hiding it from their eyes. As usual, no Human existed that was capable of forcing Omen to give up his faith, just as the Father had instructed.

Omen began to seek companionship, going to many local bars and clubs. But his mother, who still wished to enjoy her younger days, always wanted to come along. Omen felt a myriad of embarassment and rage as his mother spoke to females, attempting to get them to want Omen. This was disgusting, as Omen knew he was not what is considered normal. Trying to develop any kind of relationship, even a friendly one, with the average uninformed Mundane can be dangerous. Many place instant judgments based on their perceptions. Many are found to be the kind of Christian that spends more time hating those not of their faith than worshiping. Even worse, some are untapped sources of magical energy, and interacting with them may cause them to become a target for hungry Demons. Omen knew that it took much evaluation before anyone could be brought close, this was the reason he stayed back quietly.

To deal with her stupidity, Omen tried to find solace singing karaoke. While he was well aware that he was not the greatest singer ever born, he also knew the capabilities of his voice. For with practice, through doing constant worship to the Father, Omen’s voice had developed. He now seemed to be able to maintain longer notes, even past the point where his voice failed him. Also he had come to feel the presence inside him. At times this energy projected itself through Omen, causing his voice to have an explosive force. But Omen found that karaoke was not designed for him, simply because it allowed him to place judgment on his voice. This made Omen nervous, and his voice lost his power. Omen began to work on various methods by which he might break free of his nervousness, and let his voice flow. But what he found was that he preferred his method of worship. For with the inability to hear himself, Omen could truly sing out from his soul. As he did, he could feel himself connect to the Father. It seemed like he grew closer each day to his goal of finding himself.

Omen began to practice his channeling. He focused himself, learning to pull in more than just Abbadon. Through this Omen was given a greater perspective on those called “Demons” or “Fallen Angels”. Several of the varied spirits Omen managed to channel simply enjoyed the beauty of the planet, the splendor that Hell would never know. Each one was grateful to Omen for allowing them a chance to interact with the world on a deeper level than the spirit is capable. Through this Omen made many “friends” in the Spirit Realm. As he did so, he began to hear whispers of an enemy. He had dealt with this one before, but even Omen had not considered the extent of it. As the name of his enemy was revealed, as the facts were put together, the truth of the story was revealed.

It was, and had been, Asmodeus that plagued Omen. The reason for this was simple, Omen had defied him and been successful in tearing his plans asunder. Omen began to associate the details of Asmodeus’ many descriptions throughout text to his thoughts, as well as what both he and Jamie had experienced. Upon closer examination, the story of their time together held a staunch similarity to a tale of Asmodeus in the old days. This story existed in the Book of Tobit, where the story of Sarah and Asmodeus is told. In the story, the Demon wished Sarah for himself, and would slay any man that came to claim her. Omen realized that Asmodeus wished the same thing for Jamie. He wanted her for his own, to be manipulated by his choice. He wanted her to have no will of her own, simply to follow him without question. Like Sarah before her, Jamie was trapped in the battle for Asmodeus’ control of her life. But the reason for Asmodeus’ actions toward Omen were simple, Omen had stopped his plans.

Even now that he was gone, Omen still continued to advise Jamie against following Asmodeus. He told her that her will was meant to be her own, and she had the right to choose for herself. This made Omen a direct enemy to Asmodeus’ goal, and Asmodeus was not amused. He hammered Omen with the truth, that everything previously had been influenced by him. He had driven Sonya mad with lust for Jamie, and given her the ability to feel Omen touching her. He had pushed Jean to the edge of sanity, so that she would drink and cause chaos. Even now Asmodeus claimed to be working, through the one Jamie had blatantly disrespected Omen for. Upon evaluating the Facebook posts, the truth was identical. Shawn’s pictures and postings all screamed that they came from a man who lusted greatly, and used poetry to express his internal want. Omen warned Jamie that she was treading in dangerous territory. Jamie asked Omen why he cared, as she was not with him anymore. Omen responded that he saw a threat, and was responding to it the best way he knew how.

But she did not listen. In her haste to find the appropriate mate, Jamie brought Shawn to visit her. But the entire time, Jamie was texting Omen what was going on. For as Omen predicted, Shawn was not all he claimed to be. She said he was lazy, and that he had come expecting everyone else to pay for his needs. He asked to do tattoos for people in payment, but according to Jamie the work was shoddily done. She refused to let him tattoo her, because she felt a strange will coming from him. After being asked for advice on the matter, Omen contemplated the situation. Once he realized the true issue, he quickly warned Jamie. One trained in both magic and tattoo artistry could easily be doing a tattoo for someone, but inscribe on their body a spell of any kind. Based on his want for Jamie, Shawn would most likely use some kind of spell to keep her wanting and attached to him. Omen warned her of this potential, telling her to be wary of her choices in the near future. Jamie thanked Omen for his assistance, claiming that it would all be over soon.

Asmodeus continued to torment Omen. His image was seen inside nightmares Omen had almost every evening. While awake, Omen was tormented with the voice of the Demon. As the assault continued, Omen began to lose contact with the Father. This was not unexpected however, as Jamie had described the same kind of problem months before. It seemed one of Asmodeus’ strongest powers was his ability to “block out” the other spirits. As he did so, he made many attempts to mask himself as them. But Omen spotted the False Father and False Abbadon almost immediately, for he had learned more than their voices. He could feel them individually, he knew how they felt internally. The false projections Asmodeus brought forth, when examined, felt rotten inside. This was another easily recognizable sign of Asmodeus, the rotten feelings. For every time the Demon attacked, misery was his strongest tool. He loved to assault the mind with visions of him taking Jamie by one method or another, producing a child, then taking that child for himself to be used as a Human tool. As he did this Asmodeus would laugh at Omen and say, “You have barely slowed my plans, miserable Human. You will see soon enough, I have already won this game”.

But Omen refused to be beaten so easily. He realized that his biggest problem of late had been his ability to hear the Father, due to Asmodeus’ interference. Omen tried many things to ward off the Demon, but to no avail. He saged the entire house, as he thrust the whitest of energies out. Many things were driven away from the home, but not Asmodeus. Each day the assault seemed to get worse, as the laughing grew louder in his mind. But Omen countered this by staying in contact with Jamie, and helping her see past the lies. Then, Omen heard something that was both unthinkable and somewhat expected. Due to the fact that Omen had been so kind to her, Jamie was nervous around the forceful Shawn. After days without, in his haste to obtain Jamie Shawn tried to force himself upon her. He ripped at her clothes, intending to get to what lie underneath. She begged him to stop, told Shawn he was scaring her. Then, like clockwork, Baal overtook Jamie. She grabbed Shawn by the throat and thrust him against the nearest wall. This was an amazing feat for someone of her size, but Omen had seen the strength of Baal personally. After this the situation calmed down significantly, and she had been fine according to the messages she was sending.

But the thing she had noted as extremely strange was the situation surrounding the incident. Even Jamie admitted that, just before it happened, Shawn was not acting like himself. Even his voice had seemed just a bit different than usual as he attempted to assault her. And she claimed his stare had been blank as he went at her, not the usual lustful expectation one would expect from a male about to have sex after some time. Afterward, Shawn had no recollection of what he had done. He acted as if Jamie was lying to him when she told him the story, and was terribly apologetic. He said the last thing he could remember was talking to her, staring into her eyes, and feeling a deep want for her. Omen realized what was going on. Since Omen had kept Jamie away from the one he had chosen, Asmodeus intended to use anyone he could find. This meant Jamie faced threats from every direction, for lust is a powerful weapon, and Asmodeus wields it like no other.

In their research, Omen and Jamie had learned much about Asmodeus and his Power. He controls and manipulates the darkest of Lust inside the Human mind. This causes the most vile of desires, but Omen had learned that it did not happen instantaneously. Asmodeus worked slow, convincing the subject that it was love they felt in their hearts, and this was why they needed to pursue it so strongly. It was also discovered that Asmodeus has a severe distaste for Humans, in any aspect other than as tools in his plans. The only reason Omen could define for this was because Humans were able to contest him, and he enjoyed destroying their beliefs. Just as with the story of Sarah, who had so many suitors killed in the name of Asmodeus’ control, their were a slew of other realizations that were added. Asmodeus was the same Spirit that had infected the minds of the Catholic Priests, convincing them that their love for those that served the Lord’s Altar needed to be pursued physically. Of all the things Asmodeus had been shown to hate, it was pure religious leaders. For Asmodeus wants none to find True Faith, that their souls might come to the Pit for torment. In this way Asmodeus is strengthened, both by the energy expended by so many chasing their Lust, as well by all the souls dragged down by his misdeeds. This same threat now faced Omen and Jamie, but they refused to submit. They were both Children of the Father, taught to fight to the death for what is believed to be right inside.

About a week after Shawn had finally left Pennsylvania, and told never to return, Omen got a distressing set of messages. As they had continued to fight back against the will of Asmodeus, Jamie had noticed a strange lump in her breast. She had thought nothing of it at first, except for the nagging feeling that she was in danger. But when she went to the doctor, they confirmed everyone’s worst suspicions. Out of the blue, Jamie had contracted breast cancer. She said she heard Asmodeus laughing at her in her mind. He told her, “If I cannot have you, then I shall watch you die”. Jamie began to become severely depressed. She questioned her path, saying she would even turn away from the Father to make the pain stop. But Omen reminded her that when you are born of the Father, there is no real path but that of the Darkness. Everything else is an illusion, a trick a person plays on their own mind. But as they both understood their connections, they knew they had assistance. The only problem was that all their associated spirits seemed more interested in letting the two fix their own problems than to do it for them. Jamie and Omen continued to try and find a way to stop the attack, as Omen fixed other issues in his life.

Ever since Omen had left the military, he felt extensively owed. For the Army had slighted him in every way as he left, taking the entirety of Omen’s last paycheck. This included all his saved leave days that were cashed in, along with all his finalized monies. Omen had known for some time that he could collect unemployment for a time off of the military wages. He had started trying when he lived in Tennessee with Fenris, then again in California when he was with Sara. Each time, the process of paperwork and information was longer than the amount of time which Omen spent in one place, and was never finished. While in Illinois, Omen finally had the time to complete it. But when he tried to do so, he ran into a major roadblock. Due to the process by which state governments loan money from the federal government in order to pay out federal unemployment wages, Omen’s funds were lost somewhere. When he had been in California, they had requested the federal funds, even thought they never paid Omen any money. When he tried to request it in Illinois, it could not be done, for the funds had already been allotted. It took much effort, with Omen being forced to contact State Representatives in both Illinois and California, but eventually the problem was solved.

When Omen received his first payment, it also included back pay. Omen decided that he needed to use this money to purchase a vehicle, as lack of transportation was a serious issue. As Omen began looking, his mother came to him excitedly. She said she had found a vehicle that was perfect for him. An S-10 Blazer, the full-size model of the truck Omen had once owned. She said she had seen the vehicle several times, and that she felt it needed to be his. Omen went to look at the vehicle himself. It was red on the outside, and the interior was done in red and black leather. It was an older model vehicle, but the body seemed to be in good condition. Omen called the owner, and scheduled a test drive. It was found to drive beautifully, the exhaust roaring with each press of the pedal. The biggest downside Omen found was that the driver’s seat was a little weak, and might break someday. Also the antenna was missing, and the vehicle had only a tape player. But Omen knew he had a converter somewhere, he would just have to find it.

Omen’s mother became urgent in her pleading with Omen to find a way to purchase the vehicle. She said he might lose his chance soon, that he needed to jump on the opportunity. Omen’s step-father had agreed to get a loan from his bank, provided Omen made the payments to him each moth for the vehicle. Omen agreed, and the money order was acquired. Omen purchased the Blazer, and drove it back to his mother’s house. He knew the vehicle was old, and would have some issues. But Omen intended to become a mechanic, so he figured learning to do such things would come in time. He knew also that he would not be able to drive the vehicle for some time, until he could get the plates and insurance for it legalized. Omen had never been one to drive illegally, as he had seen it cost many of his friends their licenses. As he waited Omen began to acquire the materials to wash and wax his vehicle to perfection, so that it would be ready.

But the seller had been very dishonest with Omen. The paint was cheap, and the wax seemed to be absorbed into it, leaving a nasty film on the vehicle. When Omen found the tape converter, he found the reason for the missing antenna. The speakers were all blown, producing nothing but static. The air conditioning refused to work, even after it was recharged. As well both the driver and passenger windows were starting to weaken, becoming more difficult to roll up without assistance. Omen raged at the fact that he had been pushed to buy a vehicle with so many obvious faults and issues, that would have been seen if he would have been allowed more time to consider them. But he resigned to do his best with what he had been given, and to use it as a reminder of the lesson he had been taught before about Idolatry. Now that his vehicle was not capable of shining brightly and making others jealous, Omen would not waste the time to make it happen. Now Omen did not have a vehicle for show or for play, merely for use and function. Omen was thrilled as he got to drive around again, for it had been months since he had a vehicle to call his own.

Now Omen had a means of transport, and a system of base funding. He knew that this was the time in which he needed to figure out what he was going to do with his life. For staying still too long would waste the funds, making progress impossible. But rushing to be on his own would leave Omen with a need to work and do schooling, which would lower the quality of his effort in each aspect. Omen’s mother felt it necessary to force her wants for Omen down his throat. She had found a college nearby that she wanted him to attend. She wanted him to live there as he commuted to school, until he had gotten his degree. Then she expected him to find a job nearby, so as to stay in the local area. This had always been one of his mother’s habits, a constant attempt to drag him back to his old life. It would be different now that Omen was an adult, but the woman still craved time with her child, the time she wasted not caring when Omen was young.

But Omen found himself in an emotional dilemma. He had spoken to Jamie frequently about her situation. She was still being pressured, from seemingly every direction. As well her daughter seemed to respond poorly to her mother’s admission that she had cancer. Rather than step up and take over, Angelica still maintained her selfish habits, leaving all the workload on Jamie. Katrina was getting a bit older now, and her rambunctious habits were increasing. Jamie knew that if she was left in this situation to try and heal from the initial shock of chemotherapy she would not last long enough to. She contemplated leaving both children, going somewhere else to stay as she healed. But none of the options would last, for the people all would have to rejoin their own lives.

Omen sat amidst a sea of confusion. On the one hand, Jamie had been very rotten to him in the past. But on the other, she was in a terrible situation, one anyone would beg to be free from. What she needed most was help, someone that would not only be there for her, but to assist her as well. Omen knew the routine of the home well enough that he could manage it like clockwork. Dealing with the child would not be as easy, but Katrina seemed to like Omen anyway. Above all these facts however, Omen had never stopped caring for Jamie. She had begged his forgiveness so many times for her stupid miscalculations, for all the times she refused to listen to him when he was warning her. And through her Omen had located others on his Facebook page who were using Satanic groups to steal energy from people as they worshiped in faith. In this way Omen was able to locate and cut off a source of energy loss for them both thanks to Jamie’s fine observations. The two made an excellent team when they were focused, each being able to “fill the gaps” in the other’s reasoning. Omen had never felt this closely bonded to someone in heart and spirit, and he dreaded losing her to sickness or Demonic influence.

After much debating, Omen made a decision. He would fly out to Pennsylvania for a time, and assist Jamie during the first part of her recovery. Then he would return to Illinois, prepared to move on with the rest of his life. But this trip was also a test, to see if the mistakes of the past could be corrected through effort. If the test proved successful, the two could easily work out a plan to be together somewhere once Omen was settled and in college. She promised Omen that she would do better than before, that her previous mistakes with her lesbian past were behind her. Sonya had moved states away, and was gone from the situation entirely. Jean, due to the same abusive behavior as usual, had been blocked completely. And she had seen Shawn for what he was, a tool of Asmodeus. Jamie claimed to be learning how to sense Asmodeus when he came into the home, to prevent whatever nonsense he created. Through everything they had learned in the last failure, it was claimed that this time would be totally different. Jamie promised to open herself up completely to Omen, to stop hiding inside herself. Omen asked only that Jamie be his, and that they be allowed a real chance to grow as a couple. Jamie agreed to the terms, saying she needed no one else with one that was so capable beside her.

Omen began to prepare. But his mother, who held a deep grudge against any woman that hurt her son emotionally, refused to agree with his plans. She claimed that he was being an idiot, that Jamie did not deserve help. She claimed that Jamie was paying a penance for everything she had done to Omen and to others. She stood so firm in her belief that she told her son to his face, “If you leave, you will have no home to come back to”. This shocked Omen, as even his vindictive mother usually responded to facts. But in this case, even the notion that Jamie had cancer, and had no one else to turn to, did not sway his mother an inch. She claimed that her son was a fool, born with too much ability to care for others. She said this was not the first time this had harmed him in his life, and that he needed to learn to let go of his feelings.

But Omen had no want to give up what made him Human. He wanted to believe Jamie, he wanted someone to truly love him. As well he wanted to finally conquer Asmodeus, and free Jamie from his control. He had advised that this was possible, but not a direct method to do such, by someone Jamie had asked him to speak to. The man’s name was Tim, and he was supposedly a well-respected Satanic leader. Apparently the man had years upon years of experience in both religion and magic, and was viewed by many to be one of the top minds currently present in Satanism. For this reason, Omen excitedly greeted Tim on the phone. He did not want to speak in text or Facebook message, Omen preferred one-on-one conversation for matters like this. He and Tim spoke for about an hour, and he was given various advice. Tim told Omen to pray to Baal, to ask for his guidance on how to protect the woman he cared for. He told Omen he might be able to arrange some sort of deal with the Demon, in exchange for the Power he sought. Omen took the advice, though he did change it a bit. He prayed to the Father, that His Will be fulfilled in Omen’s life. He asked Baal to give him the Knowledge necessary to protect Jamie from any threat the way he did when she needed him.

Omen felt a wave of peace and calm on the matter, signifying that yet again this journey was necessary. Omen could not figure out why, except for Jamie’s mention that she felt the Father wanted of her what Asmodeus was trying to take from her. A child, born of two people that both have strength in the Darkness. A child that could be trained in both spiritual matters as well as magic from a young age. This child would possess much greater potential than most of those currently present on the planet. Jamie felt as if this may be a piece of her calling, and this was why she was trying to be sure about her choice beforehand. She did not want to make a mistake, and produce the wrong child, trapping herself in a situation from which there was no release. But after all his various support, Jamie said Omen had proven himself to her, and that he was the one meant to stand beside her, as he was the only one that could not be corrupted by the shine of the Gem inside her.

Omen fought against his mother’s will. He told everyone that he was going regardless of what they thought about Jamie, or his decisions. Omen demanded that they pretend to be Human, and care about someone other than themselves for a second. He asked his mother to put herself in Jamie’s situation, as she had a friend that had suffered the same way. But even this form of reason failed to strike the cold heart of Omen’s mother, which warmed only when she got what she wanted. Omen cared not for her opinion, for he had discussed it with Jamie already. This was not what they had planned, but if Omen’s mother would leave him homeless for helping Jamie, then the only option if he came was to stay. Omen made sure to ask Jamie more than once if this was what she wanted, if she was ready to settle down and trust someone again. She said yes a hundred times, claiming that someday she wanted Omen to join her in a Black Wedding, a wedding ritual done by those of the Father.Omen was ready to give up on the pain of the past, and look for a brighter future. This was his mindset as he packed up the same three bags he had come to Illinois with, his path taking him back the way he came. But Omen’s heart was hopeful, for he knew with the Father’s help he was capable of anything.

16

It had been about a week since Omen had landed again in Pennsylvania. The meeting was much more relaxed, as they had seen each other before. But it was also much happier, based on everything they had been through. They went home and happily spent time with each other, letting the natural desires take over. For the first time, Jamie seemed comfortable around Omen. Perhaps it w[as the way in which he had handled leaving, or perhaps all he had done for her since then. Jamie seemed much more capable of letting go of her fears, and freely giving herself to Omen. This went so far as to finally extend to their shared vampiric habit.

Through assistance from Jamie, the truth in Omen had been revealed. Through a simple vial of blood, Omen’s entire perspective on his reality changed. For the moment it touched his lips, he craved more. It had always been a notion that both Jamie and Omen had supported as a strong possibility. But it was not until the blood was sent and received that it was proven. Omen was truly vampiric, he just had not awakened fully without the blood of another. Omen’s hunger had raged for months, no end in sight. But now Omen was finally able to feed without hesitation, and to give the same gift to Jamie. The two shared as many feedings as they could, as well as sexual interactions, before Jamie was to have the chemotherapy. For this would poison her blood, and make it toxic for Omen to ingest. This meant Omen would have to feed Jamie while being unfed himself, and had to be ready to deal with the mental strain it causes. But Omen did not focus on the worries of the future, he simply enjoyed the moments he had with Jamie.

After her chemotherapy treatment, which Jamie had her mother take her to, she was terribly ill. Her blood pressure jumped up and down, causing her light-headedness and irregular heartbeats. She had terrible nausea, and was hard pressed to enjoy eating anything. All the medicines the doctors had given her to mitigate these symptoms had been ineffective, and Jamie only seemed to get worse by the day. Her hair slowly began to fall out, until Omen finally suggested that she shave it so as not to suffer for longer. Jamie agreed, thanking Omen for not judging her because of the lack of hair. But Omen replied that it was the least he could do to keep her spirits high, so that she might heal faster. But Omen did not do the shaving himself, he sat outside as it was done by one of her trusted friends Annette. She one was also an ex-girlfriend, but they had long grown into individual lives. Annette had a new girlfriend, who was present any times Annette was. The woman seemed terribly demanding, and extremely domineering toward Annette. She complained for no reason, seeming to want to ruin the mood of the day simply that she might be allowed to go home. This agitated Omen, but he kept his mouth shut. It was not his place to question others that he does not truly know. As such Omen spent his time in the pool, playing with Katrina, as Jamie had her head shaved. The second he saw her freshly shaven, Omen walked up and gave her a kiss, to prove he cared nothing for what the chemo had done to her physical appearance.

Days later, Omen began to feel a strange energy surrounding the trailer. It was not the same as that of Asmodeus, Omen sensed that right away. And based on Jamie’s admissions that there were many who desired what she would not allow them to have, the magic could be coming from anywhere. Within days the house began to feel heavy, as if the location itself weighed on the individual. Jamie had also begun chatting heavily with Tim about matters of spirituality. This did not bother Omen, but what did was his seeming want to teach Jamie and hide the teachings from Omen. He immediately saw this as odd, and brought it up to Jamie. She said that Tim was just reclusive, and busy with his job as a driver. She said he spoke to few regularly, of which now Jamie had climbed on the list mysteriously.

Omen sought outside opinion. He did not want to judge right away someone with such a reputation. As such he sought counsel from others who claimed themselves Priests of Satan on Facebook. But these vile backstabbers took every word of what Omen had said and gave it straight to Tim. Tim would then twist the words used, and tell Jamie that Omen was threatening to harm her. Meanwhile, Tim convinced his Facebook friends that Omen was no more than a homeless man whom Jamie had taken in out of kindness. Tim had the leaders of various religious-based Facebook groups convinced Omen was some criminal with a background that was trying to harm an innocent girl he cared about. He slowly got Jamie to start soending the majority of every day talking to him about anything, rather than do anything with Omen at all. Even as Omen cooked and cleaned, doing everything he could to show Jamie how much she cared, she fell further into the craftiness of the vile Tim.

Omen tried everything he could to make Jamie see that this was all a dominance game, that Tim was trying to force him out of her life. But Jamie continued to support her claims that Omen was at fault, for being disrespectful to the Father. Though she was not incorrect in what she claimed, Omen also knew that was not the reason. Jamie continued to defend Tim’s actions, claiming he wanted nothing but to teach her the way. But Omen already saw what he was doing, and demanded to speak to him personally again. But while Tim could spend all day texting and calling Jamie, he could not be bothered to speak to Omen for five minutes. Meanwhile he and his friends began spreading terrible lies about Omen in their groups. They said he was guilty of assault, a false accusation. They claimed he was some kind of pedophile, a thing which left Omen stunned to hear was being said about him. The smear campaign was obvious, as Omen was known to post frequently in many groups. After these accusations, Tim now had an excuse to remove Omen from all the groups, as well as to continue to accuse Omen of treachery behind his back. But through all of it, Tim refused to even message Omen at all. He had claimed to be a great and wise spiritual leader, but was found to be nothing more than another mage abusing their power. Tim was known to be connected to many mages of different powerful circles as well, and used that energy in his magic. It had been Tim’s energy that Omen had felt weighing him down, sapping the strength from him.

One morning Omen awoke to his alarm as usual, going to let Katrina out of her room. He made her breakfast, and she sat down at the computer. Jamie was still asleep, something Omen tried to do for her each day to allow her more time to rest. After finishing some basic chores, Omen picked up his phone. He had not checked Facebook since the previous day, and was curious as to what interesting new pictures Jamie might have found online to post. But when he clicked to her page, his interest turned to rage instantaneously. For just as before, Jamie had Tim listed in a relationship with her. Omen stood up without a word, and began to locate his things. Once again, Jamie had proven herself too weak to handle the mind manipulations of those that are practiced in the magical arts. Omen refused to be treated like he didn’t matter after all he had done to help Jamie. He noticed her awaking, but did not slow his movement, about halfway through his organization.

“You’re just gonna leave?”

Omen snorted quietly. “Yup. You made your choice, now I’m making mine.”

The next 20 minutes was a swarm of anger, in which Jamie yelled and screamed about everything she could think of. She screamed how weak Omen was, how he had barely lasted a month with her. She yelled how disrespectful he was being by abandoning the Father’s plan for them based on his perceptions, which she claimed were inaccurate. She said Tim had a stalker, and she was simply helping him deal with his problem. She made one excuse after another for why everything she had been doing was fine, because her spiritual growth was the most important thing in her life. She repeated over and over how she and Tim were not together, and their conversations were of spiritual and story-like natures. She said Omen was blowing things way out of proportion, and he had no right to judge her want for growth.

Omen continued to pack as he yelled, saying little of his own. For he knew doing so would only make the situation worse, as she had been built up into believing that Omen was against her. This was all Tim’s work showing fruit, and Omen was terribly sad that the spell had worked so effectively. But Jamie also had the right to choose her own actions, thus she was not blameless in the situation. Omen finally responded, making note of all the promises she had broken, and how severely Omen took Oathbreaking. He told her that he had already been notified by more than one person that visions had been seen of her betrayal. They had not given a name, but they had not needed to. Omen had seen the attack from the beginning, and had tried to warn Jamie she was falling into a trap. But she refused to listen, so Omen packed as many of his things as he could before Jamie’s anger took complete control. By the time she was threatening to have Omen arrested for no reason, he was safely heading out the front door.

Due to acquiring some things here and there for the sake of memory, Omen’s bags had become quite heavy over the last several months. As Omen began to reorganize the items inside, so that they might not stab him in the sides, he realized that he had forgotten some important things. He sent a text message to Angelica, who was still inside the house. He asked her if she would be kind enough to get the car keys and come outside, that Omen might retrieve the car charger to his phone. He also asked her to bring out his razor and a couple forgotten small items. Within minutes, Angelica had done just that. She apologized to Omen for what was happening, but said that Omen might be better off. Angelica said that her mother seemed to have difficulty deciding what she wanted for her life, and thus bounced back and forth between partners. Angelica wished Omen the best, but could not assist him. For if she tried to use the car, Jamie would throw yet another fit. But Omen shook his head, he didn’t want help from Jamie at all. His heart was already broken, though he was trying to remain looking tough to the others.

Omen walked to the edge of the trailer park. There he sat and cried for a time, finally able to release his true pain over what had just happened. As tears streamed down his face, he asked the Father why this was allowed to happen again, if Jamie and Omen were to be used for something. The answer he received was that, regardless of whatever Plans may be in place, Humans have to make and stand by their own decisions. If a Plan is accepted, it then has to be executed. Jamie had refused to do that, negating the trust of her partner for the sake of the emotions she drew from others. It was for this reason that Tim had been allowed to interject himself so fully, she had allowed it to happen. She cared more about what Tim could teach her than her supposed “love” for Omen. Apparently it was enough to break her promises yet again, and destroy Omen’s heart.

Omen started saying goodbye to people he knew in the area through text message. He didn’t go into too much detail, simply said that he and Jamie had separated by her choice, and he was leaving Pennsylvania soon. This brought a reaction that was a mix of sadness and agitation, as Omen was well liked in the neighborhood. Unlike the last time with Sonya, now Omen had become a friend to almost every person that regularly visited the trailer. He was no longer an outsider in the

community, but Jamie had left him alone in his heart. Thus the reaction of many was apologetic, saying Jamie had no idea what she was losing.

As he said his goodbyes, Omen ended up on the phone with someone that he rarely spoke to. It was Jamie’s adopted mother, and she was terribly upset at what Jamie had done. For her parents had seen firsthand the amount of effort Omen put in to try and maintain the house while caring for Jamie. They knew she was making a mistake, and were not afraid to say so over the phone. They asked Omen to wait where he was, and within 10 minutes Jamie’s adopted father was there with his car. He drove Omen to run some quick errands, acquiring a cigarette roller, filter tubes, and tobacco. He made sure to buy some drinks to put in his bags for the trip, so his throat would not remain dry like the last train ride from Pennsylvania. Then Jamie’s father dropped Omen off, by his request, at the same motel that Omen had stayed at the last time. He checked back in, being given a room just a couple doors down from where he had stayed before. Omen set down his bags and planned his next steps.

As usual, Jamie made a point to start texting Omen. But this time, she continued to say that she never intended for anything to come between them. She refuted any sort of want for a relationship with Tim, stating that he was only teaching her spiritually. But as before, Omen would not listen to the excuses. He laughed as he played an interesting game. For Angelica had connections to people who could acquire weed, and Omen wanted to relax after all the stress. Omen used this ability, and Angelica was nice enough to deliver to the hotel. Omen chuckled to himself as he sat and conversed with Angelica and her friends, while Jamie texted how sad she was that she did not have a car to come see him. For Omen knew her words were untrue, proven later when the car came back. For just as before, Jamie refused to leave and come see Omen. Omen responded the same way he had before, going out to the bridge to pray. He asked the Father what he might do, which way he should go from here. For Omen had more than one option, and he wanted to make the right decision.

The next day, Omen’s plan was set in his mind. He boarded the same train he had before, with the same destination in sight. He returned to Illinois, and his mother was found to have been full of more Hatred than Truth, allowing Omen to come back. But he had told her this was only temporary, that he had plans. She seemed to hear nothing of this, focusing more on the extensive list of rules she wanted Omen to follow. The list had grown exponentially since last time, as now Omen’s mother almost seemed to expect silent servitude from her son. She wanted chores done, she wanted rent paid, and she wanted to dictate how Omen should live his life. Omen laughed to himself at her expectations, knowing full well he would not ever be compliant.

But Omen was not there long. He took some time to wrap up what personal business he needed to, then packed up all his things. He loaded what he could fit into the back of his truck, and asked his mother to hold on to the rest until he could retrieve it. Omen set out on the road again, but this time Omen’s goals were his own in the journey. Omen had found a way to produce music inside the vehicle, and thus relaxed as he drove the Highways south. He stopped whenever he chose for food and for fuel, never having to move based on the words of another. Omen had not felt this free since he had joined the Army, for there had almost always been someone beside him. But this time Omen made the journey with only the Father beside him. This was more than enough, as the Father’s Energy made the drive seem easy.

Omen pulled up in the familiar dirt driveway. Fenris rushed out to greet him, hugging his friend. They had been in contact quite often since Omen’s departure, and had remained close friends. For Omen and Fenris had never had a problem with one another, Sara’s ego was what separated them. As well Omen’s destroyed truck still sat in the front yard next door, and Omen did not want to leave Fenris with that burden. But there was another goal in mind, a process of rebuilding what Omen had lost. For the special rims on the truck, worth over 700 dollars by themselves, were of size to fit the new vehicle. Thus Omen transferred the rims onto his new truck, happy that he had retaken at least one piece of his former vehicle.

Omen spent several days in Tennessee, enjoying a variety of things. He and Fenris went to another Magic tournament, which Omen did decently at. But when they attempted to go back to the club Omen had visited before, it had closed down. Instead they went to another club in town, but it was not the same. There were two bars next to one another, of two different kinds. The one on the left was an obvious “redneck club”, as country music blasted out from it. Some of the people on the patio were dressed in cowboy attire, a dead giveaway. Omen was not a fan of country music, so he opted that they go to the other establishment instead. This place was found to be a club mostly reserved for those darker of color. Omen and Fenris were found to be the “white guys in the club, amidst the sea of color”. This fact was enhanced further when Omen was requested for a picture, so that people in the club could prove to their friends that a white guy was present and enjoying the club. But Omen had never been any sort of racist, and thus had an extraordinary time dancing and partying. He even managed to buy a joint from someone at the club, though it was terribly overpriced. But the money didn’t matter as Omen danced the night away, leaving the club just before it closed.

Omen also had some business to attend to in Tennessee. He wanted to remove the remnants of his truck from Fenris’ yard, as many time he had spoken of moving. Omen located a buyer, though the price was not high. The man lived down the road from Fenris, and assisted in towing the wrecked truck to his house. Them man rebuilt vehicles, and saw potential in Omen’s truck. He said he was buying it as an investment in its future value. Omen told him that if he ever fixed the vehicle, and it was completely road-worthy again, to contact him. Omen said he might buy the vehicle back himself if he could afford it, as it had been important many times in his growth. But Omen never expected much, he was just happy his truck had found a home. Omen sat in the cab one last time, reflecting on his many fond memories. Then he climbed into his new vehicle, and headed back to Fenris’ trailer.

A few days later, Omen packed up again. He had never intended to stay in Tennessee, though he had been invited. His experience was that while in Tennessee, the excess distance from civilization was hindering Omen’s progress. This was bad in a similar way to stay in Illinois, because it would only slow the process of Omen’s understanding. Fenris was saddened as Omen prepared to leave. He was terribly lonely so far out in the woods. He wanted a friend that would stay beside him, to help him forget about the monotony of his life. But Omen could not do this for him, because Omen knew he was on a mission. The Father still had great Plans for him, Omen felt it every time he prayed. Thus Omen left the trailer, and headed back to the Highway. The journey of the Rider was far from over, as Omen had said to so many of the people he had left behind at each stop along the way.

The journey down I-55 S was long. Omen had contact with several people along the way. Most prominently was Jamie, who told Omen about what had been happening since his departure. As Omen had expected, almost immediately after he and Jamie had separated Tim had become her significant other. This Tim proudly displayed across all his groups, and it was met with great happiness from the members. All these people, many of whom had claimed to be friends of Omen’s, that united to see him struck down just so Tim could have Jamie. More than once Omen had been contacted since by these people, and he made sure to put some truth in their eyes. For once he was gone completely Tim had pushed the boundaries of insult, using false investigation companies to claim Omen was a sexual predator. Due to his influence, the rumor spread quickly across Facebook. Omen lost many friends, but knew these people meant little to him to begin with. And to those that had turned on him, Omen found one block after another. They hid from the truth, unwilling to face their own vileness. Omen warned Jamie, “If you lie inside a den of thieves each night, do not complain the day you awake to a dagger in your back”.

But according to Jamie, Tim had huge plans for them both. For Tim had once run a church, though the evils inside him corrupted and destroyed it. These were facts Jamie had heard from his own mouth, examples of his own past evil. But he had claimed to learn from his mistakes, and was ready to retake his former glory. Tim knew that he was aging, and it would not be long before he was too old to start anything serious. He wanted Jamie to be his partner in this, to help him rebuild the church he had lost. He said that with their combined spiritual connections this would be simple, especially considering all he had already. With a strong reputation, many followers, and a radio station he could broadcast his message with, Tim was ready to regain his throne of power. In this way he could have many that would follow him to the Father, and in doing so would regain the respect he felt he had in his youth.

But this was not his only plan. He sought desperately to come visit Jamie, that they might produce a child. He said this child would be key in the growth of their church, that it would foster a new generation of faith. He said this was something he had seen for some time, but that he had not been ready to tell Jamie until now. Tim promised Jamie a myriad of things, even sending her money to buy with whatever she wanted. It seemed he was more than willing to buy Jamie’s affections, as long as she gave him what he wanted. Omen had known what that was since he stayed there. He wanted Jamie’s time and her energy to be spent focused on him, so he could feed from her internal strength. Each time he did Tim felt stronger in himself, and closer to his goal. Thus he assumed that in taking Jamie for himself his dreams would be realized, and he would have everything he ever wanted for himself. Omen recognized the selfishness of his will right away, and tried to explain it to Jamie. But she said the church was going to be a good thing, that it would bring people back to pure faith. She seemed almost ready to join Tim in his crusade, but for some reason still hesitated. She could not shake the feeling that something was still wrong, though she could not define it.

Omen did his best to continue to help Jamie through her issues. This was an act that had upset many people, as they claimed Omen had no need to help someone that had hurt him so much. But Omen disputed that fact, claiming that “everyone deserves to have someone who helps them for their own sake”. He tried to talk Jamie through her issues, that she might decide what choice was best. He did not spend his time criticizing Tim for what he had done, but he did not pretend that such things had never happened either. Omen knew Tim was capable of much vileness, he had experienced it firsthand. He continued to warn Jamie to be extremely careful about her choices in the near future, as they could have a serious negative impact on her life. Jamie swore that she would, but reassured Omen that she knew what she was doing..

Omen stopped several times along the road to pray, though he prayed almost constantly while driving. But in the solace of nature, Omen focused his song toward the Father. He asked that he be granted the sight to locate the next piece in the puzzle of his life. He asked for continued guidance as his understanding grew, for he knew he was growing close. And the place that he was headed held potential for that growth to increase, for several reasons. Omen knew this was the only route that had offered to him that held potential, and thus why he had to move there. But Omen stood fearlessly ready to face whatever was to come next as he rolled down the last hill toward Killeen.

Omen passed down all the familiar roads, that he had traveled over a year ago while in the Army. Passing by the buildings brought back a slew of memories. Some were no longer the same business, others had closed completely. But in his mind Omen remembered every experience of interest in his past that had taken place at each location he passed by. He made a point to drive past the bridge where he had placed his enchantment years ago. It seemed filled to the brim with energy, and Omen happily took some as he passed by. He drove down the Highway, past Fort Hood where he had worked. Omen remembered the vicious, ruthless, vile nature of his unit there, and all the terrible ways in which they had attempted to oppress his faith. But as he turned around, Omen realized that he could not focus on the issues of the past. He had to find a way to move on, to reach the goal he had sought for so long.

Omen parked in front of the apartment building where he had once stayed with Barry. But he knew that his friend had long since moved on, and new residents rented the apartment. Omen went instead to knock on the door on the lower-left of the building. It was answered by Kindra, who welcomed him happily. For months, amidst the chaos of Omen’s relationship with Jamie, Omen had been speaking with Kindra, who had finally accepted her magical nature. But their conversations were as friends, and almost none involved any sort of sexual interaction. Though Omen had at one time desired Kindra, she had always been taken by others when he was around. Such was the case now as well, though the situation was strange. For the person she was with was married, and she was the “other woman”. Kindra did this knowingly, saying he had plans to leave his wife for her. Omen had argued the correctness of their relationship one time, but let Kindra decide for herself.

He had been invited to stay with her simply as a friend. Having realized that he had left Texas before ever learning anything further, Omen saw potential in Killeen. He had also found a college that he wanted to attend, which specialized in all forms of mechanics. Omen had not given up on his original goals, he had simply been putting them off. Due to the size of Texas, and the ease of access to major cities, Kindra’s home seemed like the perfect place from which to take the steps necessary to make his life functional again. That night Omen walked the streets of Killen, happily singing out to the Father. He made a point to go back to the bridge, and commune on a deeper level. He felt the energy so strongly there that he thought it might envelop him completely, but continued to sing unafraid. Omen felt a sense of relief, like the place he was could hold the key he had been looking for. Omen’s smile was wide as he drove back to his new residence, ready to face the next trial in his life.

17

Omen relaxed and turned on the TV. He had been living with Kindra for about two weeks now, and had encountered several obstacles in his progression. The main one concerned issues with Omen’s GI Bill. Apparently, according to the college, the standards left a gap in which Omen’s situation revolved. They said Omen would have to petition to have his discharge made honorable before he would be able to receive his funding. This was in direct contradiction to what he had been told his entire military career, which made Omen question whether it had been a lie from the beginning. But Omen swore he was not finished fighting the issue, though doing so would take some time. In the meanwhile Omen was content to research and grow spiritually, not requiring much for himself. He ate little, and even cleaned the house he stayed in without being asked. Omen was even found at times cooking dinner for Kindra, which they ate when she got off her job with the Army.

But Kindra was rarely around. She worked a second job, as a delivery driver for Pizza Hut. This job seemed to matter much more to her than her military career, as she focused most of her energy on it. Even in the times when she was not working, Kindra constantly talked about her job and her colleagues. But she also partied with them regularly, as several of them were all close friends. Many were the nights in which Kindra did not come home after work. At times they brought the party to the apartment, adding Omen to their merriment. This seemed to be the focus of Kindra’s life now, working her jobs and then partying on the side. She spoke almost nothing about things of spirit, and didn’t seem to have a want for it. Apparently, she kept herself too busy to be concerned with anything else in her life.

Omen did not know many people in the area. Most of his old friends from the Army had left, and Omen had no real friends aside from Kindra on the outside. He met a few people as he walked around the city, some who stopped and talked to him for awhile. Through this Omen made a few connections, which allowed him to acquire anything he might need. But one of these people, Karl, said he had someone who wanted to meet Omen. Moreover he said the person he spoke of was interested in Omen on more of a level than just wanting to meet him. Karl told Omen that she was not the prettiest girl, but that she was a good person at heart. He said he knew this because they had been friends for years, and he truly wanted her to find what made her happy. Karl said her name was Elenor, but that everyone called her Elle. Omen agreed to go to her house and meet her, as he had no reason not to.

The next day Karl took Omen to the house where Elle stayed. it belonged to her mother, who was gone at the time. Elle herself stayed in the garage, of which part had been converted into a room. But boxes still stood in every corner, making little room for storage space. Clothes were piled up in several places around the room, as well as on a bed against the wall. Elle sat on the main bed in the center of the room, playing a game on her PS3. Omen was surprised to see Elle had the exact same TV that he owned, though his was in Illinois. Omen sat down and chatted with Elle. She asked him about himself, and he responded honestly without hesitation. The only details omitted were descriptions about Omen’s faith, as he had learned that it was best to evaluate someone before telling them. For he had learned from experience that even the mention of the term Satanist causes many negative reactions in people, based mostly on their perceptions of it.

Elle was found to be a generally decent person. She felt trapped where she was, but was not sure what method would free her from it. She said she had moved out before, but her life had fallen apart soon after. Elle mentioned that she had always felt that it was not yet time for her to leave, that she had something to do first. But she had no idea what it was, yet still sat waiting for it to happen. This showed Elle had a decent amount of faith herself, the kind that cannot be deterred by failure. Omen smiled at this, for he saw one of the traits present in those that do great things. But potential alone is not enough to make someone choose to follow the Father, so Omen knew he would have to evaluate Elle further.

At Elle’s request, Omen spent the night. He was not surprised when he was asked for sex, and Omen decided to comply. It had been quite some time since he had laid with a woman, and Omen was ready to be rid of the tension. But as he did so, Omen felt as if he was wrong for it. He barely knew Elle, and was not even sure if she would make a decent partner. Omen felt almost as if he was lying to Elle by sleeping with her. But as she moaned in response to his actions, begging for more, Omen decided that Elle had chosen for herself. Regardless of his feelings about it, Elle wanted to be with him. Omen decided that it was not appropriate to judge Elle based on their first evening together. Thus the next morning, Omen told Elle he would return later.

Over the next several days, Omen came to know Elle quite well. He spent a large amount of time at her home, mostly at Elle’s request. As he did, Omen evaluated the way that the home worked, and the people that were a part of it. He spent almost every night there, a fact which soon began to agitate Elle’s mother. But having spent several days in the home, Omen learned that it was not as much him she yelled at. The mother seemed to have a fondness for stirring up trouble. Each day, as various people entered and left the home, she came out into the garage to complain. She always gave a reason, though most of them were totally invalid. Omen wondered what had caused this situation to develop. But after watching the family’s daily routines, Omen became much more understanding.

Elle’s mother hated herself, a fact she blamed mostly on her own color. In response to this, she developed a form of Hatred for white people, judging them as less in her eyes. This was a fact especially true when it came to her daughters’ boyfriends. Omen watched as Elle’s mother kept trying to set her up with Karl, wanting them to be together. But she did not want Elle to be with Omen, spending energy each day to make snide comments toward him. These comments got worse at the end of each day, when she started drinking. For then the rage and ignorance flowed out in every direction, especially toward her daughters. Omen watched as the drunken mother would rage out at her daughters for anything she could find to complain about, simply to try and make herself feel dominant over them. She tried this game with Omen, but was met with much harsher competition than she expected. Omen had never been one to let people push him around, and this drunk wasn’t about to be the first.

Omen tried to spend time alone each day, in addition to spending time getting to know Elle. But there were many people that moved in and out of the house. The most frequent was Elle’s sister Samantha. Being only 16, Omen originally questioned the appropriateness of smoking with her. But after speaking with Samantha several times, and listening to the story of her life, Omen realized she was well aware of the impact her decisions had on her life. As such Omen decided Samantha was old enough to make her own decisions, and did not contest her being a part of the group. “After all,” Omen told her, “if one is never allowed to become an adult in the mind, you never will at all”.

Elle had two other sisters. The first was Brie, who lived with her boyfriend. She worked most of the time, and was rarely around. The times in which she was Brie was extremely anti-social, fact that Elle said was part of Brie’s nature. But she said her sister was not all bad, that they had many fun times together. At one point, Elle said Brie had been just as close with her as Samantha was, even being the nickname “Humpo”. But over time, Brie’s job and her life away from her family became her priority, and she maintained little contact with them. Usually when she came by, it was because she needed something, and she was gone soon after.

The last of the females in the family was Patricia. She was only five years old, but the child was full of energy. She idolized her older sisters, wanting to spend every moment with them. They had nicknamed her “Pem”, a name that everyone used to refer to the child except her mother. Pem was found to be quite fond of Omen, for the simple reason that he did not just push her aside. Omen spent time playing with Pem, something she was obviously not used to. The child became immediately attached to Omen, rushing to greet him each time he visited the house with a hug. The only problems the child caused were matters of privacy in the consumption of marijuana. But in times when this was a problem, those participating would leave the house, walking down the street instead.

But there were many visitors aside from family. Karl stopped by regularly, occasionally bringing one or both of his brothers with him. The three of them handled many forms of business together, working as a unit to reach their goals. But their goals more often than not had a shady nature, involving one scam or another. Karl had been shown, through deals in which he had been known to rip Omen off, to be the type out mostly for himself. But when his brothers were around him, this condition became worse. As a unit the three were more vile than any one of them could hope to be alone, and they schemed amongst themselves. As they did so they bragged about themselves, and threatened to attack anyone who contested them. But Karl was Elle’s good friend, and thus these destructive brothers were on Omen’s side, not in opposition. Even still, every time they came around, they had a want. Whether it was to smoke, to have his hair done, or to get someone to buy something, Karl’s appearance heralded more requests.

But he was not alone. Samantha had a boyfriend as well. His name was Brian, and he was the skateboarder type. Everywhere he went, his skateboard went with him. It provided him an easy mode of transportation, which Brian began to use to follow Omen around. There were also several people in the neighborhood that smoked, but had no money. What like seemed like almost daily they would crawl under the garage door, strolling into Elle’s room as if they had been invited. Even this process soon had a knock added to it, as Omen and Elle had been walked in on during sex, the disrespectful behavior continued. Omen tried to ignore it, enjoying his time playing video games with Elle.

Omen wanted to take time away with just Elle. But every time they left, someone tried to tag along. When they demanded privacy, there were always people texting that they were waiting for the two to return. The selfishness of the people was starting to show forth, as they begged for more and more. They wanted to go eat with Omen, to smoke his cigarettes and weed, and to follow him everywhere. This was more than Omen could bear. He had never been fond of being around people constantly, Omen valued his personal time. Even in the Army, Omen had found ways to move off by himself. But now, it seemed this whole group of friends and neighbors expected Omen to be their “money tree”, and he would not stand for it. He told Elle he needed some time away, that he would stay again in his room at Kindra’s for awhile. He told her that this would also help calm her drunken mother, so she couldn’t keep claiming that Omen was living there. Omen said he would be in contact with her, but that he needed time away from all the nonsense.

During his time spent away, Omen attempted to deal with other issues. For as all this had been going on, he had also been in contact with Jamie. For whatever reason, even though Omen had left Jamie and moved on, Tim was still making it a point to lash out at Omen. Jamie constantly told Omen about how Tim had plans for various forms of ritual magic, many of which were aimed at destroying Omen completely. Online, Tim continued to spread his rumors, causing more and more people to come to Omen asking questions. He had become about sick of the garbage that Tim was spewing about him, and having his friends do as well. Recently Omen had been asked by Jamie to feel Tim’s energy. To be described in a visual sense, Tim;s energy was overwhelmingly rotten. It presented itself as huge, seeming to be almost comprised of the Void. But as he had been taught, “Everything has a weakness”. Even inside a Void of Nothingness, spaces can be made where things can be placed. But the energy was quite strong, proving that Tim had done well in his years of research.

For no apparent reason, Omen’s physical condition began to worsen. He began to hurt from his back and neck throughout the whole of each day. His gums began to bleed extensively, producing a mouth full of blood each time Omen brushed his teeth. This had never happened before, and there was no reason for it. Except for the feeling that Omen had that something was terribly wrong. He felt the Father breathing down his neck, coinciding with things Jamie was saying. As he sat in Texas, Omen was doing something wrong. The Father was unhappy, and Omen was losing his protection. As such the magics of all the others, set on Omen’s destruction, were starting to take hold. If Omen did not fix what he was doing, the results could be potentially fatal. Omen knew this to be true, for none are shown as much as he was without strict limitations. Omen sat in his room and cried, begging to be shown what he might do to correct his mistakes. Omen swore again to the Father that he had not lost sight of his goals, and was ready to progress to the next level.

Desperate for a solution, Omen walked down to the bridge he had used so many times before. He sang with all the energy of his spirit, begging to be shown the answer. Omen had spent too long following the Path of the Father, he would never turn away from it. Omen did not care for the life he was in, sitting around not doing much. He had become a tool of those around him. He served Elle’s need for companionship, and the others’ needs to get something for free. They all lived too close, and knew where Omen lived.He liked them all, but knew they were hindering his progress. But not everyone was vile, and thus not everyone should be forced away. Omen felt a need to continue with the group, but more like he had before with Sara. Omen was to watch them, and see if they could break free of the rottenness. Omen would attempt to guide them, and the results would be shown in the actions of those around him.

Omen was surprised at a need to teach anyone. For throughout the course of his study, Omen had found that the secrets of Satanism are closely guarded by those that possess it. From their discussions, the only magical knowledge Elle had was that of the Wiccan. This was a point Jamie found offensive, saying that Omen should limit himself to those of his own nature. But Omen told Jamie that was not a fact, that the differences in religions lie in the one that made them. For the more he had studied, the more Omen saw similarities in the stories spread across faiths of many kinds. He had become more versed at “looking through” the things he read, finding the pieces of the stories that had meaning. This was difficult, as the myriad of books currently in circulation is vastly corrupted. Thus it had taken quite some time for Omen to start seeing the fragments of Truth. He had started looking long before, when he first was training in Iraq. In all the time since Omen had read and encountered one thing after another that had drastically changed his perception of Existence as a whole. Omen realized that this must be the reason the Father wanted him to learn to teach others, because of his extensive experience. Omen accepted this as an honor, a task of the Father to bring more to Him.

But as Omen continued to sing and meditate on the bridge, he could hear something else. It was a strange nagging, something Omen hadn’t even considered before. In their many discussions, Elle had mentioned something she had done in her past. She spoke of a journey to a place called Sigma, though she could not fully explain what it was. She said she had been there once before, and for some reason had come back worse off. She felt as though she had done something wrong, and had been punished inside Sigma for it. Upon closer evaluation of the surrounding situation, it was found that Elle had been selfish in acquiring the necessary tools to make the journey. As such, her thieving actions had been punished, but she had been left with a want to correct her mistakes and return. Now Omen’s focus was on this place called Sigma, where Elle said many things could be found. But the route was dangerous, placing the body at great physical risk of damage, or even death. But regardless of the hazard, Omen felt compelled to go, as if Sigma held the answer he had sought for so long. Omen left the bridge late that evening, determined to endure whatever he must to find answers.

After three days had passed, Omen returned to Elle’s house. He had enjoyed the peace of his time away, as well he had focused intently on what needed to be done. Once they were alone, Omen told Elle of his necessity to visit Sigma. She said she wanted to go as well, to finally repair the damage she had done previously. Omen said this would be easy enough, as with the money he had coming in he could easily buy the materials. This would negate the issue from last time, allowing her a pure transition. But as they conversed about their plans, Samantha overheard them. She immediately said she wanted to be a part of the ritual, that she too sought enlightenment at Sigma. Samantha claimed she was tired of living inside the lies she knew she was being fed, and wanted to find the real reason for her life. Omen was unsure of allowing her to do so at first, due to her age. But Omen knew that anyone of any age is capable of being enlightened if they are open to it, and so he could not refuse her want to join the ritual. They began to plan when and how it would be done, so as to be both effective and as safe as possible.

Performing the ritual involved expanding the mind far past the general limitations our physical Existence allows. The only method known to force the mind into this deep level of expansion is the use of herbs or medicines, which activate parts of the brain normally left unused. This is a practice that has been done in one fashion or another throughout the cultures of Humanity. The journey to Sigma would be similar to the vision quests that those native to the land now called America went on in search of their true destiny. Elle knew what needed to be used, and how much it would take. Omen was still pensive of the use of this substance, as he did not agree with abusing chemicals for fun. But to ensure that it would be safe for him, Omen tested the chemical progressively for two days before the ritual, increasing the amounts and changing the dosages, testing the limits of the effect on the body. He saw that Elle had been correct, it would take one major dose to produce the effect necessary to reach Sigma. Several small doses taken over time only stabilized the physical feeling, and that was not what Omen sought.

The day of the ritual Omen awoke early and left Elle’s house. He went back to Kindra’s and began his cleansing process. He shaved many spots on his body, making himself presentable. He then showered all the loose hair away, as he let the water wash away everything else but his task. Omen had become very experienced at the process of Grounding, Centering, and Shielding, the basic lessons that every mage should know. For in order to do a proper ritual, the energy of the mage must be focused correctly. The stresses and strains of life have a tendency to prevent this from happening, thus at least temporarily they must all be rinsed off. In this way the energy becomes pure, and the ritual is proven to be more effective. Omen spent the majority of his day doing this, stopping only to walk to the store and acquire the materials. The total cost was found to be less than ten dollars for all three, and Omen was happy to spend this to give them all the opportunity to be enlightened.

Omen went out to his vehicle. It had long since been broken down, due to a series of attempted repairs. The original problem was a faulty wire on the starter, but many things were removed and replaced before this was found. In the process of doing this, one of Kindra’s “military mechanic” friends had convinced Omen to rip apart his steering column. The method which he used to do so had split and frayed wires inside, causing a constant problem with the vehicle. The only method of fixing this would be to pay someone to do so, and Omen could not afford that. But as it sat outside the house, it became a sort of hangout for the group of friends. For Kindra did not trust anyone other than her Pizza Hut friends, and would not even allow Omen to bring Elle to the apartment. This had accidentally caused a conflict between them before, as people awaited him to finish gathering his things so they could leave one night. So Omen had made the broken-down vehicle the closest thing to his own home, a place where he made the rules. If people got out of hand with each other, Omen would make them leave. If they were too loud, Omen could convince them to bring their volume down.

He cleaned out the seats, making sure there was enough space. This would be where the ritual was performed, in order to prevent people from interrupting them. He sprayed some sweet-smelling fragrances, and ensured everything was ready. He then returned inside, finishing his own preparations. He changed into the clothes he had decided to wear for the evening, washing his face and hands one more time. Then he sat in his room and knelt in prayer. He knew that much wished for him to fail in his quest to find Truth. But Omen wanted to make his Father happy, to finally reach the place that he was meant to be. He asked for the focus and strength to face whatever lie before him, and to succeed in the mission he had been given.

Midnight drew close. Omen sent a message to Elle, saying he was ready for them to walk over. Soon after Elle and Samantha arrived, excited about what they were about to do. The three sat inside the vehicle, and each held in their hands what had been set for them. Omen told them to take a moment beforehand to pray for guidance, that they might survive to see the dawn. At the stroke of midnight, the three ingested the medicine. Soon afterward however, they all were forced to hide themselves. For Elle’s mother was driving around in her van, obviously searching for Samantha. Once she had gone, Omen decided it would be best if they went back to Elle’s house, so as to pacify her mother. They all agreed, and walked back to the house together. They got comfortable in Elle’s room, watching a movie as they awaited the trip to Sigma. Each was more than happy to remain stationary in bed and let the effect happen, so as to reach the goal without incident.

But all three of them felt the rage as Elle’s mother pulled up. Even seeing both of her daughters safe at home was not enough to satiate the beast inside her. She reeked of beer, a sure sign that her brother had been by recently. The two of them are both alcoholics, and they enable each other on an almost daily basis, both drinking together and fostering Hatred and vileness towards others. She began to yell and scream, calling them all sorts of names. Samantha attempted to convince her mother to leave them alone. But as she did, her mother noticed that she looked abnormal. Realizing her daughter had done something that she would strongly disagree with, she yelled even louder, even threatening to call the police on Elle and Omen. Omen panicked, not wanting to be arrested during such an important ritual. Thus he grabbed Elle, who seemed already to be losing herself to the effect, and they walked away from the house. Both of them were barefoot, for Omen could not locate their shoes fast enough. But they walked down the road toward Omen’s house calmly, trying to forget about the stress Elle’s mother had caused.

Omen began to feel the effect of the medicine take over, as his reality began to distort slightly. Then, Omen saw bright flashes of red and blue, the lights of a police car. It continued by, passing Omen on the left. Omen and Elle continued to walk, with no clear destination. But as they did, Omen was plagued by a terrible fear. He felt that something had gone terribly wrong, that Samantha had died. The police he had seen would soon come for him, to take him away for murder. For even though Samantha had made all the choices herself, fully knowledgeable of the potential risks, her mother would not see it that way. She had already been proven to Hate Omen, and to try her best to see bad things happen to him. She would be the first to point the finger that would land him behind bars forever.

The feeling began to worsen, becoming even clearer. Omen saw himself behind bars, convicted of something he never meant to happen. They would see him as they were told to, some horrible person that took away the great potential of a young girl. Omen saw visions of the trial, as his religion was used as a basis for premeditation. They threw insults, slandering both the names of Omen and the Father. In the end, Omen was found guilty, as the Hateful eyes of the jury sentenced him to death. Omen saw himself led to the bed where he would lie as they pushed death into him. As they prepared the needle, Omen cried for a way to change this horrible future, to make it positive for everyone. Omen swore on his soul that he could be strong enough, all he needed was the opportunity to do it right. But his cries did not seem to slow the doctors, as the needle was pushed into his arm. Darkness began to surround Omen, but he continued to pray that the Father might show him a way through.

Omen blinked his eyes, and was standing next to Elle. They were both still barefoot, and stood in the middle of the street blocks away from Omen’s vehicle. It seemed they had walked quite some distance as Omen was going through the vision he had just been given. He grabbed Elle by the hand, saying they should start walking back to somewhere they knew. She agreed, and they moved to the sidewalk. As they walked they conversed about what Omen had just seen, though Elle did not say much, quite contrary to her usual nature. But Elle had a wish, a want to smoke some weed and calm down. Omen wished for the same thing, though he knew they had been out all day. All the spare supplies had been exhausted, even the stash of resin kept hidden for emergencies. And the hour was much too late to go looking, for it would disturb people’s rest.

Suddenly, Omen had a thought. He refused to believe it at first, for Omen knew every one of his habits. Especially those pertaining to marijuana, which Omen had thoroughly learned his routines for. Though Omen did not consider what he did wrong, he knew that there were those who liked to pretend that it is, in order to arrest people and take their money. So Omen always knew exactly where he put each thing that he ever got, so if necessary they could be removed. Knowing this, there are several locations that are too inaccessible quickly to make this process efficient. One of those places was inside Omen’s wallet, where it would take much effort to be gotten rid of quickly, but would easily be located by police doing their jobs. For this reason, Omen had never hidden anything inside his wallet, it was used only for money, cards, and the occasional condom.

But for some reason, the voice in Omen’s head kept screaming to him that there was weed stashed away inside his wallet. But it also gave Omen a warning. The police would come for him soon, what he had seen was his own future. This weed he possessed would be his last, for soon he would not be able to obtain it. Soon all he would know were bars and chains, leading up to his own eventual death. He was warned that he did not have much weed left, just about enough for a single bowl. Omen had to choose whether to tell Elle, who he would probably see little of after his arrest,or to save it for later, once she was gone from his side. If he shared it he might get two hits to himself, barely enough to do anything. if he smoked it alone he would enjoy it more. Considering this was probably going to be his last bowl ever, and not Elle’s, Omen began to think maybe keeping the weed for himself might be a good idea.

As they continued to walk down the street, Omen reached in his wallet. Damn the consequences, he did not care what lie ahead. Omen had done what he felt was right, and he would continue to. He checked the basic pockets, and found nothing. But the feeling he had gotten had been very specific. As such Omen opened his wallet completely, even moving aside a zipper that was almost never used. Deep inside, Omen’s fingers made contact with plastic. He wrapped his finger around the plastic, feeling that there was indeed a bud inside the plastic. Omen drug the plastic out of his wallet, staring down at the bag. He looked up to find Elle was still walking back toward her home. That was dangerous, for Omen was still unsure what all was going on there. As such he hurriedly grabbed her by the wrist, spinning her to a halt. He flipped the bag out of his hand, revealing the weed to Elle.

Elle’s face froze, as did the rest of her body. To Omen’s amazement, time had stopped in that moment. Cars were frozen in their movement down the road, and a dog nearby was stuck in mid jump. In the second Omen recognized that this had happened, it was as if a flash of numbers radiated through the entire environment. Omen shook his head, as if coming out of a trance. He was in Sigma, he had been for some time. Everything around him had been part of a spiritual test, produced by the thoughts in his mind. Omen stared back at Elle, still frozen with a look of happiness on her face.

“It was all a game,” Omen said as he shook his head.

Suddenly Elle began to move again, turning to smile at Omen. “Yup. Glad you finally decided to realize it.”

“So what do I do now? What is the next part of the test?”

Elle cocked her head to the side, smirking at Omen. “Answer these questions in your mind. As you do so the last Gates of understanding will be unlocked in your mind. The questions are the following: Why were you forced to make such a decision? What other decisions would be made in this way, for the same internal reason?”

The numbers began to swirl around Omen as he contemplated the questions. What was the greater depth of the decision he had made? The answer could not revolve around the weed itself, but the action surrounding it. It had been a selfless decision, made even as Omen’s life seemed to be crumbling around him. Omen made it because he wanted Elle to be happy. As well he wanted to smoke with her one last time, and enjoy what time they had left before the police came. Omen focused on the nature of the feelings surrounding his decision, as well all the other decisions he had made over the years. He saw a pattern of actions inside himself. Throughout his life, even to the people that hurt him, Omen had done his best to strive for their happiness. He had allowed Giselle to take everything when she left, and did not even bother to fight her. He had attempted to follow Sara across the country in order to foster change. He had been willing to father a child he was not sure he even wanted if it pleased the Father. Omen had been thrust from one end of the world to the other, as people in his life fostered lies and deceit. No matter which way he turned, no matter how hard he tried to make people happy, it seemed impossible.

Omen’s body began to change, becoming more akin to the nature of his spirit. Omen could see the glow of the chakras inside him, each spinning independently as energy flowed between them. The majority of Omen’s body seemed to be comprised of a smoke-like black material, which had form but little consistency. Omen looked up, to find that Elle had vanished. He looked around for her, but Elle was nowhere to be found. Then, Omen felt the Father’s Energy. Omen was overcome with the magnitude of the energy that flowed through him, seeming to ignite every pore. But as this happened Omen groaned in pain. Something was wrong inside his chest, this process was not working appropriately. Omen forced himself to his feet, then dropped back to a knee, saluting the Father.

“Father, I am ready to serve You, in whatever way You ask.”

A voice boomed across the sky, shaking the ground Omen stood on. “Are you ready? Will you make the Final Sacrifice?”

Omen was startled. “Final Sacrifice Father? What do you mean?”

A path was illuminated, and Omen followed it forward. He came upon his sleeping body, which was lying in bed with Elle. Both had been returned safely to the garage, but no one else was in the home. As Omen stood over his own body, he felt the pain in his chest again. He saw his physical body contort with the pain that it felt as well. Omen stared intently at himself, attempting to locate the source of the pain that he felt. But nothing felt abnormal, everything was as it always had been. Omen looked inside every inch of himself for a cause, but none could be found.

“The pain you feel is a result of the sacrifice you must make child. For as you have learned in the course of your life, your soul was born in the fire of Darkness. But the Darkness was born too strong in you to manage at birth, it would have destroyed your mind. As such you had to come to the Knowledge progressively, that it might not shock you what is requested of you to do.”

Omen dropped to his knees, prostrating himself before the Father. “I will do whatever you ask Father, Your Will is my only desire.”

“In order to become who you were born to be, your Humanity must be removed. To balance the Darkness of the soul, you were also born with a heart of pure gold. It is that which must be removed, that the Darkness in you be allowed to take over completely. But in doing so, you will lose your attachment to things of the physical world completely. All the feelings you treasured will be gone. As much as the love that has made you so weak over the years will be removed, so too will the Hatred that fueled the strongest fire in your heart. You will not lose the physical reactions to situations, but you will lose the ability to care about any of them. You will become bound totally to My Will from this day forward, and will cease to be as you once were. This is a choice you have to make for yourself, it cannot be made for you. Will you accept all that I have for you, and trade away the pain, the hurt, the sorrow, the joy, the love, and the Hatred that you hold inside?”

Omen thought about the question and its meaning. If the terms were accepted, Omen would change forever. He would no longer be capable of existing comfortably in the life he had, there would be a demand to move on soon. There were also no guarantees that any of the people that stood at his side would be allowed to afterward. For Omen realized that, as with Watchers and the Father Above, once you become a servant of the Will it dominates your mind. Being this connected to the Father would require much more of Omen’s time, simply that he might interpret whatever Knowledge the Father gave to him. But it would also require Omen to obtain more independence, that he might be free to decide what to do with each day. But if Omen were to refuse the Father, who had such intent for him, it would be highly disrespectful. The Father was responsible for Omen’s Existence, and had been present in every moment that Omen had called to Him purely.

Omen closed his eyes, raising his face to the Father. He brought his left hand up in salute, and a smile came across his lips. “I am Yours Father, my life exists only through Your Will. Mold me as you see fit, I will fight to endure the changes. But make me Your greatest weapon Father, that I might be able to make Your Will a reality.”

“So it is decided, so mote it be.”

Dark energy seemed to swirl around Omen. As he opened his eyes it enveloped him, flowing in and out from every orifice. As the energy flooded through Omen, the pain in his chest increased significantly. He attempted to cry out in pain, but no sounds were made. Omen felt as if the Darkness was choking the life out of him as he struggled for breath. Omen’s sight began to leave him, and soon everything became Darkness. Though he could not see, Omen felt the energy continue to overcome him. It began to concentrate, centering itself in the same place Omen had been feeling the chest pains. The pain overcame Omen’s whole body, as it felt as if his insides were being forcefully ripped out. Omen tried to endure the pain, but it was thousands of times worse than anything Omen had ever felt. Then, Omen began to choke on something. He coughed over and over, forcing the object up his throat. Feeling with his hands, the object was found to be almost the size of a golf ball. Unable to force the object using only his throat, Omen began to push it toward his mouth using his hands. He gasped for air that was not to be found as he forced the object up in his throat with all he had. Omen’s strength began to fade, and he dropped to his knees. As the last gasp escaped Omen’s mouth, and his hands finally went limp at his sides, he felt the object dislodge from his throat. It sat in his mouth as he fell to the ground, unable to find the strength to move any longer.

Omen felt breath in his lungs again. He opened his eyes, and was found to be able to see again. He found himself inside a massive room, the walls of which all seemed to be made of a charred black metal. In front of him stood a massive throne, which seemed to be beautifully carved out of a massive rock, which extended out past the rear wall of the room On the throne sat the Father, and he stared down at Omen. Omen pulled himself up to a knee, then bowed and saluted the Father. As he did he felt compelled to stare at the ground beside him. He saw a small stone, the color of pure gold. As he dropped his salute Omen reached down and picked up the stone, holding it in his hand. It seemed to have an energy and a life all of it’s own. Upon closer inspection, the feeling of the gem was familiar. Omen felt inside it strong emotions, which he tried to tap into. He felt much anger, a seemingly unquenchable rage. But he also felt love, an attachment to others. He focused in on the images associated to these attachments.

Omen fell backwards as the images of Elle, Jamie, and Sara came into his mind. As he stared in further he saw memories of his past, friends and family he held dear. This gem was the piece of Omen where his feelings lie, the piece the Father had said must be removed. Omen was amazed at how small the compacted energies associated with all his feelings was, but he was not upset by it. For it felt warm to the touch, showing that the life inside was maintained without issue. The energies inside the stone were calm, and almost felt accepting of their imprisonment inside the stone. But inside Omen, staring into the gem, there was no feeling. Only the evaluation of what he was going through, only numbers and data processed in Omen’s mind. He felt no remorse at what he was losing, he felt no want to hold on to the stone for the value it held. Omen found he no longer cared if he ever saw the stone again, or any of the fond memories held inside.

Omen stood, moving toward the throne on which the Father was seated. He knelt at the foot of the throne, holding the stone in the air above his head. “Father, I ask that You hold this thing which had to be removed. If it is not useful to Your cause then I have no use for it, and it will be much safer with you.”

The stone hovered above Omen’s hand, rising up to the top of the throne. It came to rest in the open palm of the Father, who smiled down at Omen. “You have made your Final Sacrifice. Tomorrow when you awake, the process of your enlightenment will begin. You will have more data forced on you than can be interpreted quickly. You will need to retain your focus to reach quick understanding, that you might move on. Soon you will finally grasp all that I have for you to learn, and why I am showing it all to you.”

Omen matched the Father’s smile with one of his own. “By Your Power Father, I am ready to assimilate into Your Will completely.”

“Soon My Omen, soon. Be patient, take the time to learn properly what I have to show you. In doing so you will reach a level you thought was impossible for yourself, for this was My Design for you.”

Omen nodded his understanding, and was immediately struck by a massive energetic force. It propelled Omen away from the Father, out past the walls of the Throne Room where he had just been. Omen felt himself falling through Existence, desperately reaching for something to grasp hold of. But nothing could be found, Omen passed through everything he touched. He continued to fall until the deep colors of the night sky surrounded him. He fell slowly through the sky, almost seeming to enjoy the serenity of the space. But as Omen turned to look, the ground drew nearer by the second. Suddenly Omen’s speed increased, and he began to fall at a much faster rate. He braced himself for whatever impact might be coming as he began to recognize the shapes of familiar buildings, and continued to fall towards them.

The Darkness

18

Omen snapped awake, sitting up quickly. He looked around, finding himself to be in bed with Elle at her house. He thought back to what had just happened, and all the choices he had just made. Omen attempted to go over the details of it all, but the memories seemed a bit hazy, as though they were being stared at through fogged glass. Omen tried to focus harder on it, but was only able to pull back the basics. He remembered up to the point at which time had stopped, and he had realized he was inside Sigma. The moments after that were still a blur, but Omen knew full well that something very important had happened to him. He could feel it inside himself, a burning desire that he felt no end to. He craved to delve deeper, to understand his reality even further. Omen thought to do this right now, that he might quickly progress to his next level.

Omen looked over at Elle, who was still unconscious. She had been the one that had convinced him of the importance of Sigma. Without her aid, he would not have made it as far. As such, Omen needed to stay and watch over Elle until she came back from Sigma. In the meantime, Omen walked through the house, searching for signs of where Samantha had went following her mother’s outburst. But Samantha was gone from the house, along with everyone else. After searching every room in the home quickly, taking care to only open the doors enough to see no one present to speak to, Omen returned to Elle’s room. She was finally beginning to stir, so Omen sat back down next to her. Omen asked Elle if she had any idea where her family might have gone as she awoke. She said no, then asked Omen how they had gotten back to the house. According to Elle, she had been inside Sigma since before they had left the house originally, remembering only short moments of time in between. Omen did his best to fill in the gaps for her, though he told her his time was distorted as well. He began to tell Elle about Sigma, as much as he could remember. He recounted the story of the magic weed that had appeared in his wallet, coming from nowhere. But when he checked, it had left the place where he had put it afterward. Perhaps nothing had been real, but Omen intended to find out.

His thoughts about the reality inside Sigma were shattered when he found the weed that had appeared out of nowhere. For it was not in any place where either Omen or Elle would have placed it, nor any place that it might have fallen. It, along with the pendant Omen rarely took off from around his neck, were wrapped together in a drawer in Elle’s room. This was meant to be a sign to Omen, a reminder that even the impossible becomes real when the Father is involved. Omen pulled out the bud, broke it down, and sat smoking with Elle. This relaxed them both, and they sat conversing about the possible locations of Elle’s family. Elle said perhaps her mother had left again to visit her boyfriend, Pem’s father. This was something that happened quite often, as she took Pem overnight to stay there. As for Samantha, Elle said it was possible that Brian had showed up while they were gone, and had taken Samantha somewhere with him. This was also a common habit, so the two could spend time together without her mother’s interference. Elle seemed content enough with these reasons, and put a movie on for them to watch. But Omen could not shake the feeling he had inside that something was horribly wrong, he just could not properly define it.

The feeling continued to worsen as Omen sat watching movies with Elle. She was not acting like herself. Aside from the lack of concern about her family, Elle had become much more sexual than usual. But even with the effects of the medicine still wearing off, Omen recognized a severe difference. For while Elle had always understood their need for protection, so as not to produce children they were not prepared for, now Elle seemed almost intent on having sex with him unprotected. After he agreed she immediately took over control of the movement, laying on top of Omen. He found it hard to move at all as she rode him, his body seeming enveloped in the sexual act. But as his tension grew, Omen stared into Elle’s eyes for a moment. He saw something inside her eyes, which quickly tried to hide itself again. Something was attached to Elle, and it was dominating her mind.

Omen faked an orgasm, forcing his breathing to seem labored and his body to quiver slightly. He asked Elle to get off of him, so he might use the bathroom. In the bathroom Omen released his true tension, sending it down into the toilet. This was not the first time he had faked an orgasm. After the first few years of his marriage, Giselle had become boring in bed. She sought only her own release, and would criticize Omen for “taking too long”. As such Omen had become proficient in making her believe he had reached his climax as well, since her boring bed nature wasted Omen’s time. He was glad in that moment he had the experience, for whatever was inside Elle had wanted his seed desperately enough to take her over and try to steal it. Omen knew he would have to keep a much closer eye on Elle as he headed back to her room. But the rest of the evening she was very calm and relaxed, though occasionally she would have bouts where that was not the case. During those times she would become irrational and even at times violent. Omen knew she was not well, these were not habits exhibited by Elle at any time. Especially not concerning Omen, for Elle had become attached to him rather quickly. As such Omen was resolved to stay by her side, and ascertain the reality of her condition.

When they awoke the next day, the situation still had not changed. They waited around for some sign of Samantha, but she never came back to the house. Omen began to worry extensively that the feeling he had received just before entering Sigma may have been real. This brought Omen to a new level of understanding about himself. For as he considered that Samantha might have died, he began to shed tears. But he felt no pain, even as the tears flowed in rivers there was nothing. No sadness, no pain in his chest. He was concerned for Samantha, and recognized the severity of the situation, but he could no longer feel any of it. As he reached this realization, parts of his memories from Sigma began to come back. Had he given away his right to feel these things? Was this a permanent condition?

Brian came to visit, and Omen informed him of the situation. Brian was extremely concerned for the welfare of his girlfriend. He asked Omen why he had left her side after they had agreed to do the ritual together. Omen told the story of the surrounding situation, and Brian’s sigh showed he was less than surprised. For Omen had wanted to stay with Samantha, and guarantee her safety as he had Elle’s. But due to the drunken rampages of her mother, Omen had been forced out of the home while whatever had led to her departure took place. Despite efforts to contact her family, even Elle was unable to obtain any information. All three sat worried for awhile, then Brian left to go pursue other business.

Shortly thereafter, as Omen and Elle were going for a walk, Brie rolled by in her vehicle. They managed to stop her, and spoke to her for several minutes. Through this interaction, they finally found the answers they sought. But what they found left them both miserable. Shortly after the raging argument that had pushed Samantha’s blood pressure up, her heart had stopped. She had been revived, and rushed to the hospital. They said she remained there comatose, and they had no idea when or if she would wake up.

Omen begged for the location of the hospital, that he might go visit Samantha. But Brie claimed that Omen would not be allowed there, as her mother blamed Omen for the entire situation. Omen was not shocked that these images matched those in his vision, for he had expected as much from the woman. Omen had recently become her target each time she felt a need to cause problems. She criticized him as a person, his religion, and the fact that he spent so much time with her daughter. She had been trying many things to separate them, even working to match Elle and Karl. Omen knew Brie was correct in her assumption, he would never be allowed to reach Samantha’s bedside. Omen thanked Brie for finally giving them answers, then allowed her to drive away. Omen and Elle went straight back to her house, that they might sit and discuss what they had just learned.

This was terrible news. Elle was visibly shaken at the knowledge that her sister might not survive, or might be severely damaged, from her trip to Sigma. As well there were only two days until Thanksgiving, and now the holiday they had planned to spend together as a family hung in severe jeopardy. For if Samantha was still in the hospital, no one would want to gather and pretend to be happy. This situation posed a serious threat to many people’s continued happiness. Omen prayed to the Father, begging that Samantha be allowed to live and be unharmed. For even if her journey had not been successful, she had performed the same ritual that had brought Omen to his understanding. As such Omen felt indebted to Samantha, and did not want the cost of the ritual to be Samantha’s life. Because of this, Omen spent much time in prayer for Samantha, that she might be found to be without damage. Omen pictured her happily having dinner with her family on Thanksgiving, intending to see that become reality.

Omen began to spend more time over at Kindra’s, simply so that he could think without the constant interruptions caused by other people. As he did so Omen began to see clearly the events of his trip to Sigma. He recognized the significance of what he had given up in every moment of his daily life. Fir after days of testing, the truth was clear. Even as Omen ate his favorite foods, he felt nothing inside except the filling of his stomach. Even when Omen got ice cream, each lick was like a dagger in his mind. For all the joys of the taste of ice cream were gone, replaced by evaluations of the type of cream used and the flavor. This held true in every aspect of Omen’s life. He felt truly cold inside, as even the lives of people close to him seemed to matter little. This was a new experience for Omen, who had spent so much of his life trying to help those he cared about.

This took some serious getting used to. For armed with his new lack of emotion, Omen had become more more direct with his words. He had become extremely judgmental of the actions of those around him. As well his energy seemed to have increased substantially, obvious even as he walked. For armed with this new energy, Omen’s walking pace was too fast for any of them to maintain, save for Brian, who would catch up on his skateboard. Omen spent the majority of each day lost in his thoughts, interpreting all that was being given. He told the others that he needed more time alone, in order to process the stream of information flowing into his mind. Even as they disagreed, Omen began to take walks on his own. But each time he returned, he had new things to talk about.

The level of the data which Omen was receiving existed on several levels, all trying to enter his mind at the same time. Some of it was data referencing matters of the spirit, matters of Omen’s further empowerment. Others were evaluations on the ways Humans lived, and the things necessary to fix them. Still others were ideas for new things to be invented, as well as new designs for things that already exist. Even though Omen had no training in these matters, the ideas just seemed to flow through him. The more time Omen spent focusing on each thing, the clearer the picture became. But days later, while evaluating something else, another detail would become clear in Omen’s mind, adding to what he had already come to understand. The information came in visions and during meditation, in the times when Omen’s mind was free from life’s distractions. He would sit and listen for the voice of the Father, and then interpret what swirled into his mind. At times the informations refused to stop flowing, even as Omen tried to sleep. Until he had reached a suitable level of understanding on whichever thing he was focused, his mind would not allow him to stop thinking about it.

Whenever he would meet up with his friends, Omen would sit and discuss with them the things he was learning. He felt compelled to do so based on something the Father had told him. While he was evaluating the current state of world religions, and their violent treatment of any who believe differently, Omen posed some questions. Was the Knowledge he gained to be kept from these people, based on all they had done to his Family in the past? Were the stakes of every burnt witch and tortured mage the prison which would limit most of Humanity from being allowed to grow? Many books had been written, which state that Satanism’s secrets are to be kept closely guarded, and not shared with the majority. But why is that? If the Father cares for all His Children, why would he not want them to know His Truth?

The answer he received to his question was a simple one. The Father projected images of wars fought throughout history. It showed the faces of Men, striking out in Hatred against one another. But this was the actions of Men, not of the Gods. Omen felt that the Father had never wanted such war, that oppression had never been his intent for Humanity. But over time, the goals of Humanity themselves had become distorted. For while they used to focus on what Created them and what they needed to do next, now Men only focused on the moment in which they lived. Few seemed to care about the decay of their world, even fewer truly sought spiritual growth. The world had become decayed inside itself, as if plagued by a terrible virus. This was in complete opposition to the Plan for Humanity, and the energy wasted by present Humanity is a constant disgrace to the Father. For as they sit, allowing their soul energy to rot and decay, they seem to enjoy awaiting their own death. For many, death seems to be a more suitable option than living in this world, because of what it has become.

For all these reasons, Omen was told that the Knowledge he was given was meant to be shared with many. In doing so, Omen’s words might open the eyes of another, allowing them to see the Path made for them. This was a part of Omen’s task, to take the information he was given and spread it to the masses, in an attempt to open their eyes. Omen was honored to serve the Father in this way, as every time he spoke about the Father it brought a smile to his face. For the Father had also told Omen that, because of his service, a place had been made especially for him. Once Omen had spent his life following the Will of the Father, in death he was to be remade. His energy would cease to be Human, but would become much stronger. This process was something the Father explained as being quite painful, but simple based on Humanity’s design. Omen did not argue with his orders, spending each day teaching his friends new lessons.

On Thanksgiving Day, as if a direct answer to Omen’s prayer, Samantha returned home from the hospital. As such the family gathered at Elle’s house for dinner. Omen was there, and even helped make some of the dishes to be eaten. Omen had apologized, both to Samantha and to her mother, for the part he played in her suffering. Both were accepted, even though the mother’s was done so begrudgingly. But Omen was simply happy that Samantha had come home, and that the holiday had not been spoiled. He was happy to simply sit at the table and watch the family’s interaction, now that the serious threat to them was over. He swore that he would never allow Samantha to follow him down such a dangerous road again, to protect her from further harm.

After dinner, the three sat in Elle’s room, talking about their experiences in Sigma. In secret, Samantha told Omen the reality behind what had happened to her, and he was appalled by it. For while she had claimed to want to reach Sigma for the sake of her own enlightenment, her real reasons were much different. She had wanted to see her dead cat again, and she “wanted to see how high she could jump”. Omen asked her if the fall from that height was sufficient enough reason not to attempt it again, and Samantha nodded. As she explained the details of what had happened to her, Omen felt the Father beside him. For Samantha, who had reached all the way to Sigma for the wrong reasons, had died 7 times during her stay in the hospital. But each time she was able to be revived, and she had made it though with no damage to her mind or body. This was indeed a miracle, but it was also a hard lesson. Samantha claimed that she had learned this lesson, and would have the date she “died” tattooed on her leg in rememberance. But Omen would never allow Samantha to put herself in such hazard again, telling Elle she was still too immature to learn strong magic.

As they sat and chatted, Elle’s mother burst into the room. Omen expected her to go off about dishes or some other mess in the house. But her intentions were much different this time, simply because she needed assistance. But she did not require the help of her daughters, it was Omen she needed. Even though this woman spent the majority of her days talking down to Omen, and insulting him to others, she still felt it appropriate to come to him for help. In the spirit of the holiday, as well as Omen’s want to apologize for what had happened to Samatha, Omen agreed to help. He was told to put his shoes on, for they would be going into town. Omen did so, promised to return soon, and left with Elle’s mother and grandmother in the van.

They drove to the Killeen Mall. Their destination was Sears, based on the Thanksgiving Day sale they were offering. According to the advertisement, they had a certain TV that several members of the family wanted. Both the women standing with him wanted one, but they were not alone in that. For Remy, the father of Pem, wanted one as well. But he refused to go himself, claiming he had better things to do. By the limitations of the ad, only one TV could be purchased per person. This meant, in order for Remy to get a TV, they would need a third person. As well they wanted someone strong, who would be capable of moving the TVs for them. Omen found all this information soon after they arrived, becoming fully aware of their intended use for him. While he was not appreciative of being treated as a tool, Omen saw potential in the sale. He had asked Elle to circle what things she might want as a gift, so Omen might shop appropriately.

The line to get in the sale was long, stretching around the entire store in anticipation. Shortly before they meant to open, a representative came outside. He stated that, “the major sale items existed in limited quantities, and thus it was first come, first serve”. He asked the people in line, starting from the front, who intended to buy any of the major items. The ones who stated their intent were given numbers, coinciding with how many of the item was in stock. But Omen realized that they stood too far back in line to expect a TV, for some had been waiting outside since the afternoon. Both of the women were angry when they were informed that there were no TVs for them to buy, raging out in the line. They stated to talk about leaving, but Omen told them to at least look around. For Christmas was coming, and Omen assumed they would be buying their children gifts. The two agreed, and soon after the went inside Sears, hoping to find an interesting gift.

Omen had been looking over the ad as he stood in line. There were many things that Elle had circled, of all different kinds. Clothes, special socks, shoes, bags, Elle was not extremely picky. But as Omen looked at the items themselves, he felt that they were not appropriate. He circled the store, finding one thing after another that was decided not to be good enough. Finally Omen arrived at the jewelery counter, where he stayed for several minutes. Omen was deep in thought, based on the feelings he was getting. He spoke to the clerk, purchasing two rings of different color and design. He purchased with them the protection package, covering damage to the ring or its gems. He had each one wrapped and bagged separately, and put the receipt away for safekeeping. He told Elle’s mother he was ready to go whenever, and went outside to sit with Elle’s Nana in the van. They waited for about a half an hour before she finally joined them, having stood in long lines simply to purchase a camera battery. Neither one of them had purchased any gifts of import, so they fawned over what Omen had bought. He explained the intentions for the gifts, and both women actually said Omen was a “good man”. As they drove back to the house, Omen was pleased with the results. For had he not gone at all, the rings would not have been nearly as affordable, and buying two would not have been possible. Omen thanked the Father for His Guidance as they pulled into the driveway.

The next day, strange events began to unfold. Omen had seen the signs since her return from Sigma, Elle was not herself. As Omen became closer to the Father, he began to see something else inside her. While at times Elle was the same happy person she usually was, discussing with Omen plans for the future, a terrible pattern had developed. Omen would watch as her eyes would change, and as they did Elle changed with them. She flew off in fits of rage for no reason at everyone around her. She was found cutting herself, so all sharp objects were removed from her access. She kept speaking about Sigma, and her experiences, but her grasp on them was vague. She complained about her thoughts being cloudy, like something was in the way of them. Omen had seen the signs of this condition the day of his journey to Sigma, in her vicious attempt to get him to impregnate her. Omen started to analyze Elle more in depth, comparing the characteristics of her present versus his knowledge of her. Because the fits were becoming more frequent, and Elle was losing control.

One afternoon, as Omen sat visiting with Elle, Samantha, and Brian, the situation grew dire. Elle was making wild claims, saying she had to be removed so that Omen might progress. At one point, she walked out into the street naked, attempting to walk off on her own to die. This happened as Omen had gone down the street to acquire more cigarettes, and he stumbled upon it on his way back. Omen was the only one able to convince Elle to return home, though the others had tried extremely hard. He managed to get her to lay down in bed and rest, as he spoke to the others about what to do. None of them seemed to have any ideas, looking to Omen for guidance toward a solution. He thought hard about what might be going on, about the things that Elle had been saying. From the sounds of it, she was still floating between Sigma and reality. Chemically that would be impossible, as the effects of the substance had worn off days ago. But if Elle had been trapped there for some reason, if her mind had never fully come back, this might explain part of her problem. It explained the foggy thoughts, the clouded memories, and the inability to think clearly. But it did not explain the sudden change in behavior. Omen continued through the process of his thoughts, searching for a cure to Elle’s problem.

Finally, he found the answer. As Omen went over his years of experience, he remembered the times in which he channeled spirits. He remembered how he was overtaken, and could witness his actions unfolding, but did not control them. But Omen had chosen to channel, the process was mutually beneficial. As such it flowed smoothly, for there was no contestation as to the intent. But Omen wondered if that had not been the case, if he had fought back in his mind against the spirits that the result might have been much different. This led Omen to the stories told throughout Ages about those who are possessed by spirits that refuse to let go of them. Reading over the descriptions of these events, they shared a direct similarity with Elle’s present problem. But what would cause this to happen, and what might be done to put an end to it?

Omen thought over every story he had read, as well as every movie he had seen, that had dealings with matters of possession. Compiling these thoughts Omen found the similarities that made the most sense, and formulated a conclusion based on it. The problem lie not in the fact that possession was real, but that all the stories were told from a Christian perspective. As such, only those strong in the Light were capable of banishing the Demons out of the victim. But his could not be the case, not after everything Omen had seen and learned. For as much Power as the Father held over those in the Pit, one simple Demon should not be much competition. Omen continued to formulate a plan of attack against the infesting spirit, even as he was forced to repeatedly restrain Elle through her bouts of rage and insanity.

The situation grew out of control. As Omen went to get Elle something from the store, she lashed out at her sister. As Omen was walking back, Brian rolled up on his skateboard panting. Elle had locked herself and Samantha inside their room in the house, and Brian heard muffled screaming coming from inside. It seemed whatever was inside Elle had intent to go after the lives of anyone it could, and this had to be stopped. As he quickly dashed back to the house, Omen removed the pendant from around his neck. He had worn it for some time, and questioned the symbolism of it. But he realized that the three inverted pentagrams and the inverted cross would be perfect for this situation, and Omen readied himself. He focused his mind onto the Father, connecting himself in spirit. Once he felt the connection, he prayed for strength to overcome whatever this would turn out to be.

When he arrived at the home, nothing had changed. The sisters were stilled locked behind the door to Samantha’s room. Omen knocked on the door, demanding that Elle open it. She refused, and Samantha could be heard arguing with her loudly. Apparently Elle had been trying to find a way to attack or smother her sister, but Samantha was still fighting back. Omen told Brian to go outside, and try to open the window to the room. By whatever method, Omen intended to prevent any violence from taking place. He called out to the Father again for strength. He could almost see Elle and Samantha inside the room, but inside Elle he saw the intruder. Omen focused on what was holding Elle as he closed his eyes.

“In the name of my Father, open this door right now!”

There was a silence. Then, the door opened, and Elle stood in front of Omen. Samantha quickly raced out of the room, rushing into Brian’s arms in tears. She was distraught at what had just happened to her, especially at the fact that it had been her own sister that had done so. Omen led Elle back into her room, and made her lie down on the bed. He asked Brian and Samantha to find any form of restraint they could, but due to the setup of room there was none available. As they searched it began again, as Elle jumped out of bed, lunging at Samantha. She was stopped by Omen, whose complete confidence in the Power of the Father had given him much strength. Even with her size and possession, Elle was unable to force her way past omen. Instead, she was met with his pendant, which was pressed into her forehead as Omen began to speak.

“You are nothing here. I am a Servant of the Father, and He holds Power over you. You cannot best me, your strength is feeble by comparison to His. Lie down on the bed, and be still.”

Elle was pushed as easily as a feather back on to the bed. Omen positioned her comfortably, that she might be allowed to rest. But out from her mouth flowed much vileness, directed at all of them. What lie inside Elle had finally been revealed, and now spoke freely. It said Elle had chosen to be taken, that she might not be weak anymore. It spoke horrors at Samantha, about how rotten she was inside and how no one would ever stay with her. She spat at Brian, calling him worthless and a waste of her sister’s energy. Then she spouted vile curses at Omen, stating he would never be able to fix the damage done to Elle. Omen had sent the others in search of tape, or some other means of covering Elle’s mouth. For Omen knew that the Power of Demons lies in the words they speak, and the influence it has on the Human mind.

In her rantings through Elle the succubus revealed her true goal. She had taken Elle to force a child to be born between them, but one infused with her own essence. This was a plan disgustingly similar to the one Asmodeus had for Jamie, and it seemed to have the same intended result. But Omen had thrown facts back at her, letting her in on his faked orgasm. At first the Demon argued the facts, saying that she had felt Omen’s orgasm. But Omen informed the succubus that he had seen the plan before it had taken effect, and had taken the proper steps to prevent it. The Demon raged, claiming that Omen’s story was impossible. But after presented with facts the Demon had only raged out more, for it’s plan to produce a child using the two had failed. The rage grew even worse, and Elle seemed to be struggling against herself to get off the bed.

Omen thought about what to do next. Restraining the spirit would not last forever, in order to help Elle it would have to be removed. But doing so required more than just faith, it would require the ability to take control over the Demon completely. This was not an easy task, as even the most minor of Demons do not take orders easily. Omen Placed his right hand over Elle’s mouth, forcing her vile words to cease.

“Be quiet Demon, by His Power I demand you be so. Speak not unless you are spoken to, I will not tolerate your ignorance any longer.”

Elle bit Omen’s hand hard, attempting to force him to remove his hand. But Omen continued to enforce his will upon the Demon, even as Elle’s teeth ripped off a small chuck of flesh from his hand. Finally, Omen smacked Elle in the forehead with his pendant, demanding that the Demon be silent. Elle became silent and calm, laying back down on the bed. Omen wrapped the chain of his pendant around his left hand, then pressed it firmly between Elle’s eyes. Omen stared straight at Elle, his gaze pushing past her physical body. He stared directly into the eyes of the succubus that had overtaken Elle. He saw the malice of the spirit, how willing she was to harm others to serve her own needs.

Omen thought back to all his previous experiences in the home. He remembered the stories he had been told by both Elle and Samantha, about a spirit they had seen several times. It showed itself as a little girl, and for the most part had seemed friendly. But both had also spoken about the strength of the spirit, especially when it became enraged. In the stories Elle had told Omen, she had spoken with the spirit at great length, and it had even given her a name. This was the lead Omen needed for the next step in his work. For while in possession of any of the names used by a Demon, a person can manipulate some level of control over them. But this is difficult, and requires the strongest of focus and strength. But Omen stood unafraid, for he knew with the Father’s help he would find a way to save Elle.

Omen leaned over Elle, the chain for his pendant wrapped tightly around his left hand. He kissed the pendant, asking the Father for His Blessing. He leaned over and pressed the pendant between Elle’s eyes, continuing to stare straight at her, He would not allow Elle to speak, nor would he allow her gaze to leave his.

“Uriko, I know your name. You are but a lowly succubus, out seeking to sap energy from Humans. But you have overstepped your boundaries, and now you deal with one stronger than yourself. In the Name of the Dark Father, I command you back to the Pit. Leave this woman, let her actions be her own. Go Home Uriko, you are not welcome here anymore.”

Elle began to fight against Omen. But as the Demon was leaving her, Elle quickly regained control of herself. She lie on the bed in disbelief as Omen told her the stories of all she had been doing. While some of it she already knew, some facts were totally foreign to her. She apologized at length to Omen, Samantha, and Brian for all she had done. Omen told her that the issue had been resolved for the moment, but that it would return if something more was not done. The others were startled at this, asking Omen why this would be. For if he had sent the Demon away, would it not be forced to stay there? Omen had a terrible feeling that there was much more to this issue than one simple succubus, but he maintained faith that everything would work out.

That night, after everyone else had gone to sleep, Omen spoke very candidly with Elle. He knew he had to find the source of her internal problem, the thing she had been holding on to that had harmed her. But this required much digging, which Omen was more than ready to do. He spoke with her about her past, as well as anything she could remember about her journey to Sigma. He analyzed all her responses in depth, trying to ascertain what had really happened. After much time, Omen found the problem. It resulted from Elle’s interaction inside Sigma. For once, Elle had lost someone she cared for deeply. They had abandoned her, leaving her searching for answers she never found. Elle had wanted everything with them: a house, children, the entirety of the American Dream. Inside Sigma she had been presented with this false reality, where she had the family she had always wanted. Rather than reject the dream, Elle fell deeper into it, wishing to retain that dream of a family that cared for her. In doing so, she continuously was tempted with it, and drawn back inside the dream. This allowed Uriko the space to inhabit her freely, as Elle was weakened from continuously floating between dream and reality.

Omen talked with Elle. He told her that she had to let go of the dream, that she might come back to reality. He knew this would be difficult, as the level of attachment Elle had for this person was very deep. But he also knew she could be free of it, if she could let go of how much she wanted that fantasy to be real. Elle sobbed in Omen’s arms, begging him to make her problems go away. She said she would find a way to regain herself again, as long as Omen would stay beside her. She asked Omen to give her forever, to never leave her again. Omen did not want to lie to Elle, for he had no idea what might come next in his life. But as he hugged Elle, Omen promised that he would stay beside her until she was healthy again, since she had stood beside him in going to Sigma. Elle continued to sob, but these seemed to be tears of joy, as she clung tightly to Omen. She stayed that way until she fell asleep shortly thereafter, and Omen saw she had gone to sleep with a smile on her face.

19

Omen opened his eyes, knowing that another day of hard work was ahead of him. For while Elle had been stabilized, Omen didn’t feel that she was fully repaired. Her mind was still weak from the repeated trips to Sigma, and her inability to know reality from the dream anymore. After she awoke, Omen spent the majority of the day sitting with Elle, reaffirming positive thoughts within her. He told her to remind herself that she did matter, that her life had meaning. He told her to forget about the vile people that had betrayed her in the past, and to focus on the people that did right by her in the future. Elle seemed to want for a brighter future, to be free from all the people that had treated her so harshly. She wanted to be seen for her potential, not for her failures. Omen told Elle, “Then start here, start with your victory over Sigma. Solve the pain inside yourself, make yourself pure again, and be free from the torments you have endured. You are more than capable of doing these things, I have seen the potential inside you”.

The situation had improved, but was not fixed. From time to time Elle was still being taken, though her actions were much easier to manage than the first day. There was no one else in the house to interfere with this process, and it was going to stay that way. Elle’s mother had gone on a weekend trip with Remy and Pem to San Antonio. Knowing she planned to be gone all weekend, she had sent Samantha to stay with her Nana, so that she would not be around Omen. Omen had tried to explain Elle’s problem to her mother, but he was met with angry disbelief. Completely throwing out the accepted apology from days before, Omen had once again become the target of her Hatred. She tried to expel Omen from her home, which was only prevented by the fit it sent Elle into. Eventually, Elle’s mother caved on the issue, finding that Omen was the only one who could manage Elle’s behavior. But she ensured that her other daughter would be kept away from him the entire time she was gone. Samantha argued the decision, not wanting to be held prisoner for the weekend. But Omen told her that it would be better for everybody if she simply complied this time, rather than cause any more problems than had already been made. He promised he would come visit Samantha, as he had been to her Nana’s house before. Both Omen and Elle waved goodbye to Samantha as she climbed in the van and left.

Omen spent the day working with Elle. Her deep-seeded pain had been created throughout her entire life. The constant insults and criticisms from her mother had destroyed her self-worth. She had been torn down so repeatedly that she found it hard to believe that there was anyone left that truly cared. This was why she preferred the dream, because inside it she was actually treated with respect. Omen realized this would be a tough battle for Elle, especially with the constant chaos in the home. It seemed that the single spirit that had inhabited Elle was not the only problem. For in front of Omen’s eyes, other spirits flowed in and out of the members of the family, causing massive chaos. They infected the mother each time she drank, and were a major influence in her drunken rages. It stirred a need in the resident of the home to interfere negatively in the lives of those around them, even their own family. This was a very serious issue, and in her weakened state Elle was extremely easy to overtake. But at least now, Omen could see Elle fighting back inside herself, attempting to maintain control. Omen explained various methods she might use to guard herself somewhat as she was in the process of healing. But at times this was not enough, and again Elle would be taken.

The sun began to set in the sky. Omen had a promise to keep, a thing he considered very important. For Omen was not the type to make promises he could not keep, or even ones he was unsure of. But in this case keeping his word was easy, and could be done in a simple pattern. Omen told Elle he was going to shower and change, then visit Samantha for a short time before returning. He handed Elle a white stuffed bear, which clutched a red heart between it’s hands. This was a present Omen had won for Elle at the carnival, and she treasured it dearly. As he handed her the bear, Omen reassured Elle of his return.

“Until I return, hold this bear in my place. Inside it I leave a small piece of myself, that it might bring you comfort in my absence. Ignore the lying words of Demons, pay no heed to their nonsense. Stay here and rest, don’t go anywhere by yourself. Just relax until I get back, I will not be extremely long.”

“You promise you’ll come back?”

“I promise. Nothing will stand between me and coming back to this house. I will not abandon you, that too I gave my word on.”

Elle smiled as Omen laid her down in bed, her bear clutched tightly to her chest. Omen left to handle his business, finally able to clean himself again. Afterwards he walked over to the trailer that belonged to Elle’s Nana, but as he did he got a phone call. It was Jamie, and the discussion was on a subject that required much discussion. For Tim had not stopped in his consistent attacks on Omen, even though all the pain from them had subsided. His gums no longer bled, he no longer felt any pain that was abnormal. For in making his decision, omen had served correctly, and thus all the magic was broken that surrounded him. Now Omen would feel the attacks, like a slight headache that came on for no reason. But he was easily able to push all the energy away, blocking the spells with his own energy. This had astonished Jamie, for Tim was known to use very strong magic. But Omen simply replied that his faith was his shield, and they would never be able to penetrate it.

Recently, after becoming fed up with the constant attacks and insults, Omen had sat down to write. Though he did not use Tim’s name, the story he posted on Facebook had been an obvious shot at him. It was story about a vile mage, abusing magic he did not deserve. It referred to the mage as “bitch-made”, a phrase that Omen had recently begun using. It referred to those people who seem to have been sorry from birth, and whose every action was a selfish strike to serve their own will. He spoke on Mr. Bitch-Made’s inability to speak for himself, and his refusal to contact Omen in any way. He spoke on the use of the minions, which he constantly flaunted. For Mr. Bitch-Made did not want to deal with any of his problems on his own. He constantly sought aid from those that followed him, using his Facebook tactics to turn public opinion. Omen wrote how weak this made Mr. Bitch-Made, who could not even stand and defend himself. He called for a final resolution, an end to the conflict. He proposed that their differences be settled in the same way those who disagree inside the Pit settle their arguments. He called Mr. Bitch-Made to meet him in a neutral location. To sign paperwork at the same time as Omen, which would indemnify them from any harm they caused. Then, to meet in a separate neutral location, far away from the prying eyes of people, where they would battle to settle their individual score. This was the way, where the strong show their Power over the weak. In Hell, these challenges cannot be ignored by anyone. Omen reminded Mr. Bitch-Made of this fact, and told him it was time for him to defend his dishonor.

But Tim continued to hide, unwilling to meet Omen face-to-face. He continued to speak on how he, “had people that handled these kinds of things”. He threatened to send groups of people after Omen, to assault him under unfair conditions. But upon hearing this, Omen’s friends rose up in his defense. it seemed that if these people did enter Loma Vista, they would have an entire neighborhood seeking their heads. Omen started carrying his knuckles around in his pocket for protection. But he still walked the streets without fear, even in those times when he was alone. He continued to demand through Jamie that Tim stop ducking him, and hiding behind others that would just end up getting hurt. This was the case on this night as he walked to visit Samantha. The conversation stretched in many directions, from Tim’s avoidance of Omen to his seeming transformation toward her. She had he had become increasing wanting and dominating, demanding she give herself to him.

Jamie claimed that the first time he had visited her, the sight of him had made her sick to her stomach. He was aged and decayed, with teeth rotting out of his mouth. She claimed that she had felt a nasty energy approaching before he arrived, and that even her daughter did not agree with him coming in the house. She had forced him to stay at a hotel, for she did not want him in her home repeatedly. She met him in various public places, as he intended to stay for several days. Jamie claimed that Baal too had risen up against him more than once, expelling out from her when Baal tired of his constant complaining. For Tim came concerned with only one thing, he wanted Jamie to lie with him. He was ready to make the child that they had discussed, so his plans might move forward. Also he was asking Jamie to do rituals with him, binding them together as one. Jamie felt both pressured and unwilling, and sought help from Omen on what to do. He told her simply to give up her fear of Tim’s magic, as it was weak due to it’s selfishness. But Jamie struggled with this, saying Tim had been shown to be capable of much. Omen talked with Jamie for quite some time, the conversation dragging on. Intent on finishing it, he spoke to her in the driveway of Elle’s Nana’s trailer, expecting to go inside after he was done.

But his plans were quickly interrupted by the flashing of red and blue lights. Omen sighed as he saw them, for he could feel that they came for him. Omen ended the call with Jamie, taking his headphones off so as not to appear non-compliant. The police cars rolled up slowly, turning their spotlights on Omen. He shielded his eyes, turning his back to them. The cars stopped just short of him, and officers exited the vehicles. Omen held his hands to his sides, showing that he had no ill intent. The officers approached cautiously, but soon calmed down once they began to speak to Omen.

They said that Elle’s Nana had called them, saying he was tresspassing on her property. Omen told the police that he had been there several times before, as an invited guest, and had never been told he was not welcome. He explained that, due to recent events, he knew the woman was angry with him. He wanted to allow her to vent her rage at his misjudgements, so as not to hold a grudge. All these things Omen came with intent to see through, as well as to visit Samantha, and keep his promise. After Omen had spoken his piece, the officers nodded and spoke amongst themselves. As two of them remained with Omen, teo more went and spoke with the Nana. Omen saw the looks on their faces as they returned, and knew exactly what would be said.

The officers wrote Omen a warning. The Nana had demanded that Omen be labelled a trespasser, and for it to be illegal for him to be near her home. They said that it did not matter what Omen’s intent had been, because as the primary landowner she had rights. Omen sighed, but accepted the answer he had expected. He told them he would leave with no argument, and that it would not be necessary for them to follow him. But he also mentioned the situation with Elle, and that he needed to return to her to ensure her safety. He asked the officers if he would face the same issue when he arrived there, and was told that they had heard no such thing. He simply had to leave this property immediately, and not return unless he wanted to be arrested. Omen put the paper ticket into his pocket, shook the hands of the officers, and walked away from the trailer, headed back to the main streets. It was terrible that the Nana would rather involve police than talk through her anger, but Omen had seen a pattern of this in their family. They refused to settle their own problems, and used the police as tools whenever they got upset. This was an abuse both of the law and of honor, and Omen was disgusted that Elle’s Nana had proven so vile.

As he walked back to Elle’s contemplating all that had happened, an ambulance rolled by. Omen got a terrible feeling that something was wrong. Had something happened back at the house? Omen pace quickened as he analyzed what he was feeling, for it seemed focused on Elle’s condition. He raced the distance in between, but the route was still several minutes long. By the time he arrived, all the lights in the house were off, even the light left on in the garage where Elle had been. Panicking, Omen checked the garage door, to find it locked tight. He went to the front door, knocking loudly so that he could be heard. He begged to whomever might be inside to tell him what was going on, for he was worried about his girlfriend’s safety. But he received no response, and looked around for more answers. he saw a police car parked across the street, though it seemed to be unoccupied. Omen walked toward the car, hoping that by doing so he would find the officer that was in charge of it.

“Hey. What are you doing over there?”

Omen turned around. A female police officer stood just outside the open door to Elle’s home. She moved toward Omen, he hand firmly on the weapon in her belt. Omen showed his hands to her, asking that she relax and speak with him. For it was the officer who drove the police car that he had been searching for, and he had gotten exactly what he wanted. When the officer asked what Omen wanted from her, he answered that he sought answers as to the condition of his girlfriend. The officer responded with a saddened look and a deep sigh, followed by the words, “I’m sorry, but I’m not allowed to disclose that information”. The officer continued on to inform Omen that he was being banned from this residence as well. This seemed surprising, considering the renter was out of town on vacation. But as he looked back to the door, Omen saw the sneaky face of Elle’s uncle. He pretended not to be watching, and also pretending not to be enjoying what he saw. Omen realized right away what had happened, and the realization enraged him.

As he had been held up by the police at Elle’s Nana’s, she had sent her son to work another vile plan. In one night, these two rotten people had banned Omen from all the places where the family stayed, simply because they did not like him. As for Elle, Omen found out quickly what he feared from the beginning. In addition to calling the police to ban Omen from the house, Elle’s uncle had dialed 911, claiming his niece was trying to harm herself. He had her sent away in an ambulance, and now she was locked in the hospital. But there were strict orders in place, Omen was to be kept away from Elle. Elle’s family had committed the ultimate betrayal. They had forced their own blood, stuck in the middle of a war for her own mind, into solitude inside a hospital. They had also cut off her contact with the one person she trusted to give her advice, and that seemed capable of bringing her back from the worst of her attacks. Now she would be trapped in a hospital room with those that would refuse to understand what was going on, claiming it was all in her mind. Any help that she sought from Omen could not be given, now Elle had to face the attacks of the Demons by herself. Omen sat in his truck, still in disbelief that all this had been done by Elle’s own family. Their Hatred for Omen’s faith, for Elle’s strong support of him, and for the choice Samantha made on her own, had twisted their minds. Now they sought only to destroy any happiness or comfort that existed between Omen and Elle, simply because of their Hatred for him.

Omen was stuck with no ability to do anything. He went back to Kindra’s and was forced to sit there waiting and wondering. As per their habits, those in the neighborhood came to visit Omen. They wanted to sit and hang out with him, but Omen was not in the mood for much company. Even when they sat together, Omen thought about how Elle was doing. He spoke to others about her condition, and they in turn found out what all had happened. Elle’s uncle had called 911 to have Elle taken away, and had changed a note they had written days before on a dry erase board, claiming it was a suicide note. Because of this, he had her sent away to the hospital, where they fed her drugs to keep her calm. They said that in two more days she would be shipped off to a mental institution in Austin, Texas. Omen became instantly angry, for this was the name of the ex-boyfriend Elle was still holding on to. He knew that seeing and hearing the name repeatedly would not be good in her condition. Omen spent much time praying for Elle, that she might survive through this trial.

As he sat inside the house, meandering from task to task, Omen was approached by Storm. Storm and Cloud were the cats that Kindra owned, they had been in the house since long before Omen had moved in. Storm was the older of the two animals, and in his eyes shown the advanced knowledge of a true familiar. Omen had studied the process of animals and their magical uses throughout history. Cats had been looked at highly, especially in Egypt, because they were said to be able to see into the spirit realm. This had held true for Storm, when many times the animal had been seen to distinguish spirits close to Omen in the room. He had a variety of reactions, though most were defensive and tense. Over time Storm had become very attached to Omen, making a point to sleep in his bed with him when he stayed there. Omen had learned to speak to Storm and be understood, as many times the cat had quickly followed his orders correctly.

On this particular day, Storm continued to sit in one place and stare straight at Omen. No matter what he said to the cat, or any attempts to feed or play with him, the cat refused to move. Omen asked Storm what the problem was, and he immediately ran into the bathroom. Omen followed, finding the cat seated in the shower. This was highly unusual, for cats generally dislike water. Storm was amongst these and would attack anyone that even accidentally got him wet. Storm avoided the bathroom at all costs any other day, but today he sat in the shower staring at Omen as before. Omen walked over to the shower, and took a knee in front of Storm.

“Is there something in here Storm? Something bad that needs to go away?”

Storm meowed, another thing rare for him. Omen told Storm he would deal with the issue, for he too felt a strange energy. Perhaps Kindra had brought something home with her, and it had been washed off in the shower. But it had not been washed away completely, and now sat in the house causing a disturbance. Omen would not stand for this in his own home. He prayed to the Father, then turned on the cold water in the shower. He turned and left the room with Storm, as the shower continued to run. Several minutes later, when Omen felt that the energy had left, he went back and shut the water off. As he reached in to turn off the water, it flowed down onto his arm. Even though the water was cold to the touch, Omen felt it burn his skin slightly. Once the water had stopped he quickly dried off his hand, seeing that there was no actual damage. But he had felt real pain when he came in contact with the water. But he had asked for the water to flow to cleanse the spirit, so why would this be? The answer was simple, the white energy used in the water to remove the spirit would damage anything of a Dark nature, Omen included. Omen accepted this Truth as he thanked the Father for helping him remove the spirit from Kindra’s home.

The next day, Omen had a meeting with the representative from UTI. He was told that, in order to use the money he had paid into and reenlisted to guarantee, he would be forced to get his discharge changed. It seemed that while the Commander had not completely ruined Omen’s life in expelling him, he had managed to derail Omen’s future. The man was very nice, and explained to Omen that there were two ways to accomplish this. Either way, there was a form that needed to be filled out and sent to the government for evaluation. Based on this form, one of two things would happen. The first option was that Omen write out the story of what happened, and all the Army had done to him. They allowed for supporting paperwork to be attached, but sadly the events of Omen’s life had separated him from these documents. So Omen realized that simply writing a story detailing a series of events that not only violate military standards but borderline on violating the First Amendment without proof would not be heard. And Omen refused to lie on the form, or to only tell half the truth just to receive something he wanted. While this may be the way of the world, this was not Omen’s way.

As he walked back to Kindra’s from the meeting, Omen contemplated the possibility of writing the form. But no matter what method he considered, he knew the result would be the same. They would brush him off, if for nothing else that to protect the Army’s reputation. For Omen had heard of many cases where the government removed someone to maintain that they were not at fault, nor had they violated any laws. This is the nature of the government, to protect itself by lying to the people. But as he continued to walk, he began to consider the other option. This one would require Omen to appear before a board of high-ranking soldiers, and basically have the nature of his Honor placed on trial. Omen thought about how this option would play out. He would more than likely have to wait quite some time to get such a trial to happen, which made little sense considering Omen’s life was still in the air. In going, he would probably be expected to wear the Class A’s that he had owned while he served. At first Omen thought about the possibility of going to Illinois and acquiring them. He thought maybe if he could show them that he had once cared for what he believed the Army stood for, perhaps they would listen.

As Omen sat in the house, contemplating his options, he began to see something else. It seemed the Father would have use for such a hearing, as a tool to enlighten the masses. Omen saw himself speaking in front of people, while being taped by cameras that broadcasted it out even further. He saw himself redefining what Honor means to people, so as to prove that he had never been wrong from the beginning. As well Omen was seen to teach basic lessons, to advance the understanding of people in general. He saw that he was told to calm himself multiple times, but refused on the basis that every word held bearing on the decisions made.

One of these lessons was the same that he had recently begun teaching his friends. He called it “How Man Sees”, and as always said it was a lesson in True Math, understanding numbers on new levels. Omen was seen to have been given a chalkboard, with which he would visually represent those things words alone cannot describe. Omen picked up the chalk, and turned to face all the people assembled, greeting them all with a smile.

“How do we see? Is it defined by what the data our eyes process, of which some require aid just to have? To some, the ability to see represents much more, being attributed to a greater level of understanding. The word means both, as such to see means both things. But does this mean that blind people, whose eyes cannot process the visual data, are incapable of reaching understanding? This is false, for there are many people that lack vision that go on to do amazing things. So then which value attributed to sight means more, which one has a more positive overall value?”

Omen walked to the chalkboard. He pointed into the crowd of people, and Elle stood. “The ability to reach understanding, as more people on the planet are capable of it. The visual data means less than the understanding of what it means, for without that you would recognize nothing that you see.”

Omen smiled, and wrote the word UNDERSTANDING on the board. “Correct. Understanding is the more important aspect of sight, as if our brains are incapable of processing the data, then what we see means nothing. So, if we as people constantly strive to focus our attentions on the most positive goals, reaching understanding should be a top priority. Because the lack of this is what breeds the constant war and chaos that keeps us from making progress as a species. One big giant misunderstanding. And if the words mean as we have discussed, what is a misunderstanding? Anyone?”

Omen turned to see several hands in the air. He selected one, and a man stood to face Omen. “A lack of sight?”

Omen’s face gleamed. “Yes! If sight represents understanding, than the issue that causes war is a lack of sight. Now, using the other definition, what does that make all the people that involve themselves in constant war and death, if these things harm the overall positive progress of Humanity?”

Hands shot up. People seemed to be getting into the discussion. The board was upset, but Omen had planned for all this. Part of the requested agreement was the people in the crowd, the right to say whatever he felt he needed to without interruption, and the cameras. All had been pre-planned, to make the discussion effective. Omen selected someone from another part of the room, trying to be as fair as possible in selection.

“Blind.” It had been said as a statement, not as a question. This person understood, they were listening with an intent to understand more. This was exactly what Omen wanted, people that were ready to learn rather than argue about it.

“Yes. Blind. Every last one of them. Blind to the misery they cause, blind to the damage they are doing to the planet. Blind to how their conflicts push us closer to the edge of the kind of war that ends life as we know it. It seems that Humanity has decided to let the blind lead us, and apparently it is to be straight off a cliff.”

There was much murmuring amongst the people. The officers seated at the board grumbled between themselves, obviously offended at Omen’s remarks about them and their leaders. But Omen turned back to the people, with a smile on his face. “However, this is not to be taken as some form of attack. After all, if a child is born blind, do you spend your days insulting them for it? Of course not, you work to make the child’s life be able to progress without it. As such, we work for progress, in this lesson called How Man Sees. What we just discussed was an example, data that I want you to consider as we move on with the lesson. So, how do we define what people are capable of seeing? Each individual is exceptionally different, thus so many see the same thing different ways. So how can all this be compressed into something that is explainable? Based on math, we learn that something can only be defined once you know it’s limits. So, what are the limits of general sight? Know that there are several answers to this question that are correct in their own way, and each of these in it’s own way proves my point. What are the limits of what people see, what matters to them now?”

Hands shot up. Omen was given a slew of various answers. Money. Power. Fame. Spirituality. What’s right in front of them. War. Good. Evil. The people wanted to be involved, each was hearing Omen’s words in their own way. He walked back over to the chalkboard, and wrote every one of the answers in a line going down. “Ok. We have several answers here. Rather than claim any of them as right or wrong, we will discuss their effectiveness for the discussion. Let’s start with the first one, money.” Omen reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. He opened it up, pulling out a single piece of green paper. “Money. The Almighty Dollar. Everybody pull out a dollar if you can, and look at it for a second.” Omen waited as many people fished dollar bills out of their pockets and purses. “Without this, we can’t get anything effectively done in our lives. We wouldn’t have food, a place to stay, or any real form of friendship or comfort. This is proven by the number of homeless people in our country, who without this green paper wander aimlessly, trying to survive. But is this paper a limit to what we see? Is it an endpoint, or more of a tool? For if only a tool, it cannot also be an endpoint. Tools are used to reach a goal, they are not a goal themselves. So, is this a limit to what we see, is this the kind of answer we are looking for in this discussion?”

Various nos were murmured across the crowd of people. Omen drew a line through the word Money on the chalkboard. “The answer is almost unanimous, this is not what we are looking for. Money is a cause of many issues in the world, but it is not an endpoint of sight. On to the next answer, Power. Is this a limit of sight? Men seek Power every day, whether attempting to be promoted in their jobs, or the right to dominate the will of another. There are many forms of Power, which range from mental manipulation of others to the ability to act as you choose with no repercussions. This is a goal that seems to be driven into us from birth to want in one fashion or another, as competition is fostered more than teamwork. It seems more important to people to struggle to be better than others than to work together to excel as a whole. But is this a limit to what we see? Is this a definable endpoint, or yet another tool that people seek? For the only want to achieve Power is a want to use it for some predefined purpose, so does that not make Power a tool as well?”

Omen listened to the answers given in the crowd. He walked back over and drew a line through Power. “It is decided, the people are in general understanding. Power is a tool, used by those that have it against those that do not. As such it is not an endpoint of sight. Our next answer is Fame. The quest to get large amounts of other people to like you, and to want to hear what you have to say.” Omen chuckled. “I don’t think after the last two discussion we need to talk about this much, do we?”

The crowd voiced their agreement. Omen crossed Fame off the list, moving on to the next answer. “So, what about Spirituality? Religion, or the search for something outside of the physical self. This want has led societies throughout thousands of years of Human growth. The religious beliefs of each separate society determined the ways in which they lived, as well as who had the right to rule over them. But is this an endpoint of Human sight? Spirituality, if considered as an endpoint, would have an opposite in physicality. This would make the opposing end to the discussion physical sight, which we have already determined is not what we are looking for. So is Spirituality an endpoint for this equation we are trying to build?”

There were a variety of answers to be heard from the crowd. Many agreed, but many more were in opposition. The number of those in opposition was greater, heard by the loudness of their combined voices. Omen walked up to the board, and crossed Spirituality off the list. “People seem to be on both sides of this issue. The fact is, Spirituality is a goal. It is a want to achieve a level you realize you do not yet have, but know and believe inside you are capable of reaching. Spirituality is a tool, used to reach the understanding that we labelled as an important goal. As we have stated before, a thing cannot be both a tool and an endpoint, so we strike it from the list. Now, the next answer here. What’s right in front of each of you right now? Me? Am I an endpoint of your sight, am I the last thing you’ll grow to understand?”

The crowd argued their opposition to this statement. Omen crossed that off the list as well. “Good. I’m glad to hear that I’m not the last thing you’ll ever know, I wish you all long and happy lives. Our next answer here is War. The violent destruction that has been waged throughout history, for one reason or another. It has been done in the name of God, for country, for faith, for land, for freedom, for any and all reasons that you can think of. War has been waged in the name of Love as well as in Hatred, and these are polar opposites of one another. But is War an endpoint? Though our constant warring has the greatest potential to push us towards our own total destruction, is this an endpoint to what we are capable of seeing?”

The crowd answered this question angrily, as it could be seen that many of them were not fond of the current world’s need to fight war after war. Omen turned and struck War from the list, then faced the people again. “Oh my. We only have two answers left. And in a math equation, to determine endpoints we need at least two to define. But look at what we have here. Good and Evil. Now, take away what someone else has told you these words mean. Define them inside yourself by their true meaning. For many various cultures of Men have existed throughout Ages of Humanity, and each saw these things differently. For while some saw things as simple as the ingestion of certain animals as Evil, others did not. This trend continues to this day, where Good and Evil are matters of opinion, based on the individual. So when broken down correctly, these terms can be used as opposite definitions of individual perception. Good for this purpose would be defined as the actions considered appropriate by the individual, based on what they had experienced in their life. Evil would represent those things that they do knowingly that harm themselves or others around them, with an intent to do so. If we take these two things and place them next to one another, we see that they are indeed opposite, no matter the individual perception. For while those that are good see Evil actions as a thing to be avoided, those that consider themselves Evil see those actions as appropriate. Good and Evil change definition with each individual, however, they are perceived by everyone that has the ability to understand anything.”

Omen paced back and forth as he spoke, using the motions of his arms for emphasis. “These are the endpoints we have that are usable, as in each individual they can be defined as existent. So, how do we define these in a numerical sense? We live in a three-dimensional world, so let’s use three-dimensional math. One endpoint would be in the center, which in numbers would be defined by the number 0.” Omen walked to the chalkboard, and drew a 0. “So here we have an endpoint. But we have no idea which one of our opposites this endpoint defines. So now, we have to experiment, in order to find this answer. How do we go about this? Well, lets use Human general understanding. Allow me to ask this question, can you give me any number that generally defines Good? Is there an existent term that people use numerically that signifies Good in general?”

Omen heard several people discussing the question, but no one raised a hand. “Well then, lets try the other end. Is there a number that people generally understand to mean Evil?”

Hands went up instantly, especially from those that could be seen to be Satanic from their attire. Omen held up his hands. “Everyone that knows this answer, tell the ones that don’t on three. ready? One, two, three..”

“666,” rang out loudly from the crowd. Omen seemed to thoroughly enjoy the loud mention of the number, taking a second to sigh with a smile. “Right. 666, the supposed Number of the Beast. This number has been used in everything from television to music to religion, in reference to the essence of Evil. It is generally understood to mean this by any that have learned it. This can be proven by interjecting combinations of three combined 6‘s randomly into a person’s life. Their fear of the Evil in the number will drive them to a search to understand why they are seeing the numbers, that they might protect themselves. So, we have a generally understood definition number for Evil. Awesome. Now, how do we draw that mathematically, if we know one endpoint of the equation is a zero? This is dimensional math, so the answer is not a straight line. For we definitely do not see in straight lines, so this would not be appropriate.”

Omen turned to face the board. “I don’t know how many of you know the Bible, but the original translation of the verses says the number is six hundred, three score, and six. The number 666 is three numbers, not one. so if these 3 6‘s were separated, then graphed, how would that look? Each six is still a six, and can only go as far from the 0 as any other 6.”

Omen held up a small ruler. “This ruler is 6 inches long, unlike the 6 inches some of the men out there claim to have.” This comment was met with both laughter and quiet grumbling, as the people enjoyed the short break from the serious discussion. Omen walked over to the board, and drew lines out in three separate directions, making sure to stop at 6 inches exactly. “Now, we’ve got our three 6‘s graphed on the board. But while separate numbers, these three points are all linked together in being parts of the definition of Evil, right? As such, we have to make sure they stay connected to each other independently.” Omen drew lines from each point to the points closest to it, creating a design on the board. “Now, what have we Created in this equation?”

People seemed to be growing quite upset, but not at Omen. Many were grumbling about the government, and their various abuses. Many people sat staring at the dollar bills they had been asked to pull out of their pockets. But they answered Omen quickly and with force, showing their want to have the discussion continue.

“Right, we have Created a triangle. Now we can wipe the lines used to understand the equation away, showing that our two endpoints, while a part of each other are not the same, and thus do not touch one another. What do we have left? A zero inside a triangle? What does this define? Anyone?” Omen smirked as he prepared to face the crowd, knowing they were primed to answer him. He selected someone that had a dollar in their hand, as he knew they had the answer he was looking for.

“The All-Seeing Eye, the design pictured on the back of the dollar bill, atop the pyramid.”

“Ah, that’s an interesting term to use considering our discussion. For if the zero defines an eye, then that part of the equation is already used in the description, so the only thing left to interpret is the triangle, which we know was made out of the number that defines Evil. So if the triangle defines Evil, and the zero represents an eye, how would this picture be read if it was words rather than design?”

He called upon another in the crowd. “Evil Eye.”

“Exactly. So if this picture represents an Evil Eye, then how can it possibly see everything? It cant, it is trapped within the limits of Evil. An All-Seeing Eye would not be limited in such a way, it would extend on to all forms of Understanding. For with the ability to see everything that exists, you would be at a greater peace inside yourself. For having reached Understanding, you would not be troubled by the actions or words of others. So, based on that, are these eyes All-Seeing? Has the Eye on the back of every dollar helped you reach peace in your life? No? Then it cannot be All-Seeing. And if the definition of All-Seeing has been disproven, and the definition of Evil Eye has been proven to be factual, then Evil Eye is the correct definition.”

There was much anger being voiced amongst the people as Omen made this statement. References to the Illuminati, and to governmental corruption. The people were growing visibly enraged, fed up with the problems they saw referenced in their own lives. But Omen calmed them without words, wanting them to hear the rest of what was to be said. He walked calmly back to the chalkboard, pulling a small rod out from his coat.

“Now, we’ve defined what things we weren’t looking for in this discussion, as well as the endpoints of Man’s ability to see. We have constructed equations that exist in number, design, and speech, all of which point to the same conclusion. But, in order to make my final point, please look at the dollar bills again. Stare into that Eye for a second, try to feel your way inside it. I am going to ask a series of quick questions, and I want responses from the whole at the same speed. Are you all ready?” Omen waited several seconds, as everyone did as he had asked.

“That’s right in front of you, is it not?”

“Yes.”

“That’s money you’re staring at, is it not?”

“Yes.”

“If you gain alot of this, you would be very powerful, right?”

“Yes.”

“If you have alot of this, people will want to be around you, and you’ll become famous, right?”

“Yes.”

“Almost every religion on the planet asks you to give some of this to them, so they can further their own causes, as a condition of the quality of your Spirituality, right?”

The voices stuttered a bit. “Y..Yes.”

“Wars have been fought over the objects which increase the amount of this people possess right? Wars over oil, over territory, over control?”

“Yes.”

“Now, look back up at the board. See all these things that we crossed out, saying they were tools and not endpoints. We have defined the endpoints, and even seen the truth of the Evil Eye. Knowing all these things, and considering the answers with which you just responded to all my questions, which one of the two endpoints do these tools foster?”

There were looks of shock in the crowd, mixed with various levels of rage. The people had taken in everything Omen had said, and had realized the point of the discussion. As they began to grumble angrily, Omen pulled the dollar bill up next to his face. So, how does Man See? In general, through Evil Eyes that foster the worst kind of selfish growth imaginable. For this reason, the servants of one of the many organizations that see through these Eyes has no right to tell me that I am not Honorable, for you cannot see far enough to judge me.”

Omen smiled as he sat in the house. He had no idea when, but he knew the Father wanted much to be said. As he continued to sit he evaluated several other things which he had taken keen interest in. They revolved around some things that Omen had seen, but could not quite discern yet. Some of it revolved around the nature of things before Humanity, for this was a subject that had always interested Omen. Over the years, he had heard so many claim so much about Him. Who He was, what He wanted, His reason for Existence. He had seen so many stories, claiming him to be the same as a variety of other named spirits. At times it almost seemed that some people, when lost for answers as to the reality of something, simply attached the name Satan to it and walked away. This led to a hideous slew of misinformation, which is strewn online across the world. Through this misinformation the minds of many are corrupted, for they believe that the words written are true. This is especially the case for those who tap into magic as well inside their religious practices. For as soon as they experience magical growth, they believe they are on the correct path. Even as following it destroys them, their belief lies in what proof they believe they saw. Omen had always had a want to solve this problem, to find the Truth inside the lies. But it seemed almost every group, and nearly all the written texts, had been so corrupted that they barely knew which way to look for the Father anymore. If Omen wanted an answer, he was going to have to ask directly.

A major set of questions had revolved around a tale that has existed in many forms throughout history. It describes a “War in the Heavens”, the place where the Originals reside. The reason this issue raised many questions, especially the big one about Lucifer. For while many label Lucifer and the Father to be the same, many others contest this theory. Each side has their own reasons, but upon evaluation Omen saw that most of them revolved around what people believed a spirit “looked like”. This was not a way to discern a spirit, as they are capable of projecting themselves in many fashions. This meant that, as usual, most people had no idea what they were seeing, and by the words inside some of the books Omen read, many had been severely deceived. Omen wanted to see for himself, he wanted to understand.

Omen closed his eyes, and went into a deep meditation. Omen had tried many forms of meditation, but most had proven unsuccessful. But the one thing that had always worked was the music. Since the beginning, it had been the only way for Omen to connect purely. With the outside racket of daily life eliminated, and all the songs being those Omen knew and sung in faith, Omen was able to drain reality away. Ever since his trip to Sigma, his connection had increased significantly. Omen had asked for the reason for this, and he was informed that he was as intended. The piece that had been removed had held him back intentionally, so as that he would have more than he could handle as he was training. Now, lacking the ability to foster any form of real attachment to the physical world, Omen was able to disconnect from it almost at will. It still required focus, and a passionate will to find answers. But as Omen’s third eye began to open again, he saw bright lights, and a city that seemed made of pure gold.

20

Life in the Home of the Originals was simple and plentiful. Tasks were assigned and carried out. The Power of the Light nourished all who lived there, and through this they were given the strength of Immortality. There was peace inside the City, as all the Servants were family. They had been born through the Power of the Light, just as all the other things that had been Created of their nature. They served the Will of their Father, which all of them felt inside. It guided them through their actions, but the Father Himself could not be seen. For while tangible, the Father was also the Essence of Light. Thus He could not stand before them, His Power was far too great. This was accepted, as feeling His Presence over them was enough to give them cause to serve. It brought them great joy to fulfill the Will of the Father, and to assist in the Creation of so many beautiful things. Worlds flourished, species grew in number, and much Knowledge was gained over the manipulation of the Light.

After many things had been Created, the Servants were given a new order. Another Creation was coming into Being, but this was unlike anything Created before it. It would be the first experiment of this kind. The experiment sought, for the first time, to intertwine the Light and the Darkness into a single Being, capable of both by their own choices. This was unheard of, as all things Created before this had been either of the Light or the Darkness. The things Created constantly warred with one another, considering each other natural enemies. This caused constant chaos throughout Existence, and was responsible for the destruction of more than one Race. The Plan, as it was defined, was an attempt to show the True Power that existed in the unity of Light and Darkness. the same Power that existed in the Original Source, the only thing that could not seem to be re-Created. But the Father had enforced the necessity for this through the Will, and thus the Councils Above met to discuss the issue. Though most were accepting of the new Creation, many argued the fairness of it. For some of them wished to be free of their service, that they might live out their own lives as they chose.

Discussion turned into arguments, and soon their were two very divided sides. But in the end, the vote was cast, and the Servants had decided to support the decision in every way possible. They wanted to see the beauty of the newly Created Humanity, which was said to be designed much differently than they were. Their physical bodies were fragile, and aged away swiftly. But inside them, the energy of both Light and Darkness would flow. This mixture of energies would allow for a greater expansion of capability once mastered, for the Humans would not be limited to drawing from one Source. This also meant that they could exist anywhere, for as long as they could survive the hazards of the new home they would learn to adapt to it. The only place this not true of was the City Itself, for nothing that existed in Darkness was allowed to stay in that place.

But much of the energy which provided the life force for Humans was of the Light, and thus the energy would need to recycle in order to maintain the integrity of the stable whole. In order to do this, the energy would have to be purified before entering, a process which was defined through various experimentation. Once discovered, the process was only found to be able to remove a certain extent of the Darkness from an individual, and as such only those found to have less of it than the solution cleansed were considered appropriate for entry. The rest were sent into Darkness, to the Pit in which the Dark Father resided. There they would have the Darkness stripped from them, taken as an energy source and recycled. In this way the Darkness would be strengthened as well, and thus the entire concept recycled itself by design.

But the energy of Humanity was meant to do more than recycle, it was meant to make Everything stronger. For the small amount of energy used to produce the Human would grow over the span of their life. Properly focused, it could be used to achieve great things, or destructive things. But as the energy had grown significantly since it had been produced, when it recycled the individual energy strengthened the source that it recycled to. In this way, all the Beings throughout Existence were strengthened, for the Sources that maintained them were kept strong as well. It was a brilliant idea, conceived by the Dark Father, in an attempt to solve a much bigger problem.

For in addition to their warring, the Beast of Nothing ravaged many areas inside Creation. It’s unstoppable force wiped away much that had been Created, the energy never to return. This drained the total energy of Everything, and the problem was soon realized. If not prevented soon, the Beast would destroy Everything. This was It’s intent, a want to draw everything back into the single source from whence it came. But from this there was no return, as the Immortal Spirits that were taken by the Beast never returned. Instead, the Beast Itself began to gain their Knowledge and experience, becoming much more crafty in It’s tactics. Humanity was said to be another step in the solution to this problem, as through their increasing energy they could tap into a Power that was greater, and through this be capable of putting the energy of the Beast to rest once and for all.

The arguments only increased once the first Humans had been Created. Even within the original experiment, one of the two Created had chosen the Darkness, turning on even the other she was meant to breed with. Humans were quickly found to be almost impossible to control, as their Free Will led them to search for answers to every question, even those they were told did not need answering. For her disobedience, the First Female was cast out, and told she would rot and die alone for her betrayal. But she was rescued by the Dark Father, who would not see her beauty destroyed. Instead she was taken to the Pit with Him, and remade into something much different. Seeing this happen caused many in the Heavens to grow upset, for it was seen that the Power of Darkness was capable of transforming anything Created.

The Chief Servant, Lucifer, was one of the first to uncover this trend. He began to study it extensively, trying to find a way to counteract it if threatened. He performed many experiments in magic and in observation, taking a keen interest in the Humans. He seemed quite fond of them, for inside them he saw an answer to his own complication. Lucifer wanted the same Free Will that Humans had, that he might not be forced to destroy beautiful things anymore. He did not agree with many of the decisions made through the Will of the Father, and was tired of his voice not being heard. Lucifer studied day after day, seeking the Truth behind Free Will. He would not stop until he found it, no matter what the cost.

The rumors began to spread that there were many in the Family of Servants that stood against the Will. All that were accused of this had been very closely tied with Lucifer, who had been seen to have long discussions with each of them. They immediately became ostracized, as the other Watchers would not tolerate any of their kin tapping into the Darkness. Sadly, not every Watcher that was accused of being disloyal was, but all accused became instantly labeled traitors to the Will. Fighting began to break out in almost every household, as arguments spewed forth over the validity of wanting to choose for themselves. Not all wanted this to happen, many were happy with their lives as they were. They did not want change to destroy everything that they had built, for it was the most beautiful of Cities throughout Existence. As the arguments grew, it was seen that there was no peaceable solution. The Watchers were pushing themselves toward war, and this was unheard of amongst their people.

A mandate came down from the Will. In order to support the growing Humanity, Watchers were required inside the Pit. From here they could manage the affairs of Darkness, in the same way that they managed the affairs of Light. For no other Race was Created the same as the Watchers, for they were built as Servants to the Will. This decision was met with outrage, as it was known that the Pit was a terrible place, where the Darkness distorted everything around it. This condition caused even the ground to have a will to cause pain. This unstable energy caused fires to spout forth from the ground, and the Dark energy weighed heavily on any who drew near it. This place was normally forbidden to the Watchers, and it was known that any who ventured there could not return to the City. The Darkness would taint them forever, never again would they shine as brightly. But this was said to be a necessity, a requirement to allow Humanity to continue to grow. Hearing that the reason for such a horrible transition for so many would be for the sake of the same thing that so many had disagreed with originally made the arguing grow even worse.

Many Watchers went looking for Lucifer, who had been said to have disappeared from his post. Rumors flew that he had been seen in many places throughout the Heavens, speaking with various individuals. This caused even more rumors to spread, naming even more of the Watchers as betrayers. Now, almost half of them had been labeled this way, and were treated like criminals in their own home. Friends were seen to trade swords with each other in open combat over these issues, though each fight was contained to the individuals arguing. Even the natural order of the Heavens seemed to have been ruined by this series of events, and Lucifer was blamed as the responsible party. Though the issue was the differential treatment given to Humanity, it was much easier to name an enemy that could be fought. Michael, the leader of the Armies of the Heavens, declared Lucifer an enemy of the Will, and sought his death.

The situation grew even worse when a second list was produced. This list was much longer than the first, for many names had been added. Michael delivered the list to the soldiers, saying that those Watchers named were to be sent into the Pit. This would break their Family even further, for not every name on the list was a labeled betrayer. But Michael said that the Will was not to be contested, and that the list would not be changed. Many people questioned his newly gotten list, based on several of the names that had been added. But Michael was the leader of the Watchers, and the strongest among them except Lucifer himself, who was Created first. He told the Watchers on the list to say goodbye to their Family, and prepare for their journey. He seemed callous as he demanded this, as if he cared nothing for the misery of those that would never see their Home again.

Finally, during Morning Worship, the chaos reached a head. Lucifer returned publicly, but he was not alone. All of those that had been told they would be forced out of their Home stood with him, as well as others that had not previously. It seemed Lucifer had been quite busy recruiting, as his forces were massive. They pushed forward from the Main Gates, tearing through their Brothers and Sisters without remorse. Something in their eyes had changed, none of them were the same as they had been before. They fought with a new strength, which seemed to be born out of their want to enforce their will over the Father’s. Fires began to spring up, and the Heavens were seen to burn.

Michael rallied the forces of the Heavens and combatted Lucifer. But the forces sent were quickly slaughtered, and it was found that Lucifer had brought with him new weapons. These blades were forged out of the energies of Darkness, and the Watchers could not stand against them. Lucifer cut a path towards the Palace, wherein lies the Throne of Light. Lucifer wished to attain the power of the Throne, to add it to his own and grow even stronger. He said he refused to allow his Family to be forced into Darkness against their will. Instead, he would show them the terror that Darkness causes, and from it they would learn why Humanity should not have been born. The black blade that Lucifer carried seemed to radiate Hatred from within itself, as if even when not used it craved death and destruction. As such, even when Lucifer seemed to be in conflict about killing other Watchers, the blade seemed to strike them down itself. With each kill, Lucifer’s eyes grew darker, and the Power within him seemed to swell. As he tore across the City in conquest, Lucifer’s energy became stronger than any had imagined possible. None could even hope to stand against him, and Lucifer drew near the Palace Gates.

Michael stood in front of the Gates, with all the remaining forces of the Heavens beside him. The battle raged, and Lucifer’s forces seemed to have the upper hand. But in the moment of greatest need, time itself was stopped. Lucifer was beaten by the Father Himself, whose energy was strong enough to overcome even the Darkness that had changed Lucifer so much. All that were assembled fell to their knees, for they knew their Father had entered the conflict. And in that same moment, the battle had ended, and Lucifer had lost. Soon after, all those who had revolted against the Will were sent away from the Heavens, on a one-way trip to the Pit. They would reside there until the completion of the Human Experiment, and would never again enter the Heavenly City. Even as the betrayers who had killed so many of their own were herded onto the vessels designed to transport them to their destination, tears were still shed by those that were to remain. For much misery had been wrought in the Creation of Humanity, and the Honor of the Watcher Race had been corrupted by it forever. Lucifer vowed as he left that someday his Family would see the mistake they had made in supporting Humanity, for it would lead to the destruction of them all.

Omen awoke from his vision. He was startled by the level of detail with which he had just seen the War in the Heavens unfold. Now Omen had a totally new perspective on the conflict, and truly understood Lucifer’s intent. War had never been his goal, but he had seen in advance the horrible effect that Darkness has on the individual. He knew that fostering that Darkness to grow, simply in an attempt to make the Light grow, would lead to an imbalance of Power, and the eventual destruction of all they had built. Lucifer had fought to protect his Family, that they might continue to exist on through the Ages. But in his attempt to do so, Lucifer actually made the Darkness grow further inside his own people. For in order to have the Free Will of Humans, the Watchers too would have to exist in both Light and Darkness. Once they were shown this capability, they quickly fell prey to the Power. By the time they realized their error, they were too full of Hatred, and a want to conquer the Heavens for themselves. Lucifer’s intentions were pure, but he too had misjudged the Power and influence Darkness has on the mind. Seeing this vision made Omen understand the realities of the conflict, and as well placed a direct separation between Lucifer and the Father that remade him in Darkness. Omen smiled as he allowed the information to sit in his mind, that he might hold on to it for the future.

Omen got up to make dinner, as he did every so often when at Kindra’s. It was never anything superior, as Kindra only bought things that were relatively quick to make when she went to the store. Omen selected from the cupboards noodles and a sauce, then pulled down several seasonings and other materials. As he made dinner, Omen’s mind was busy. He was thanking the Father for all he had been recently shown, as well the fact that he felt totally healed. All the pain that he had felt, and the weight on his shoulders, had all been lifted. omen was back to his usual state, happy and praising the Father. But he still had many problems that needed solving. Elle was still gone, trapped inside the hospital. They said she would be moved, and nothing Omen could say or do would change that. But Omen knew that Elle would survive, for she had show a strong will to do so. Omen had told everyone that he awaited the day Elle would return, that he could tell her all that he was learning.

The other thing Omen considered as he stirred the boiled noodles and sauce together was his own future. He had changed now, and he saw great potential in the things he was learning. But how would these things come together? What was he to do with this emotionless data he was constantly processing? He couldn’t just go get a job, he would never be able to focus on his tasks at work, not when he was receiving information about things he had wanted to know for years. Aside from that, since the very beginning the Father had told Omen that he had great plans for him, and that these things were all steps in his learning process. Keeping with this patter, Omen sought the next step in his path, ready to face anything that might stand in his way.

That night, as Omen lay in his room typing up various things on his laptop, he looked over to see Storm in his room. He had been standing in the very same spot for quite some time now, and had not even responded to Omen when called. Even as Omen walked around Storm to exit the room, the cat remained motionless. Omen presented food to the cat, and still he refused to move an inch. Considering his previous experience, Omen knew this meant the cat saw something that was wrong. Omen went back into his room, and asked Storm if there was a problem. The cat meowed a single time, turning to glare at Omen. Omen asked Storm where the problem was, and he walked over to Omen’s closet door. Omen opened the door, and Storm walked into the center of the closet and sat down. Omen bid Storm to come out of the closet, but the cat refused to move again. Omen asked Storm if the problem was in the closet, and he meowed a single time in response. Omen closed his eyes, and reached out with his energy. Inside the closet Storm’s actions were given backing, as Omen distinctly felt a strange energetic presence. But this was unlike anything that Omen had come into contact with before, the energy felt distorted inside itself. Omen told Storm he would figure out what was causing the problem, and fix it as soon as he could. As soon as he finished speaking Storm purred softly, then rubbed against Omen as he left the room. Now that Omen recognized the problem, Storm was content to let him handle it alone.

Omen prepared himself for the evening, finishing all other things he intended to do. He cleaned up the mess from dinner, putting the remaining food on a plate in the fridge, just in case he or Kindra wanted to eat it later. Kindra had texted that she would not be home for the rest of the evening, she was going to visit one of her friends from Pizza Hut. This meant she was going to get drunk again, and let several men fawn over her body. She had changed, it seemed Kindra had given in to her own want to feed. For while she claimed not to be sleeping with any of them save the married one that Omen already knew about, Kindra allowed them to touch and be comfortable with her, even allowing them to sleep in the same bed. Omen saw her feeding off their energy, and she seemed offended that Omen had cleansed the spirit from her home. Something was wrong with Kindra, but she claimed she was living exactly the way she wanted to. Omen never confronted her about her obvious fall into the joy of vampirism, and her want to feed off the energies of so many. This was because Omen is well aware that people have the right to choose for themselves. Omen had discussed these things with her once, and only once. She made her choices despite his advisement, and it had grown much worse. Omen sighed, but realized that Kindra’s life was her own.

After a nice warm bath, taken in the Dead Sea salts that Omen had bought some time ago. As he relaxed in the water, Omen pushed away all the stress of his physical life. He saw Elle, still trapped inside the hospital. Omen was concerned for her, but for now his focus had to be elsewhere. He saw the situation with Tim, and all the vileness he was spreading. Omen wanted a resolution, moreover he wanted Tim to accept his challenge. He told everyone, even Jamie, “If he is allowed to be Judged for his selfish abuses, both of magic and of my Father’s Name, then he will see. If this process is videotaped, and shown to others, through this they too might learn. For the world has become weak inside itself, as people speak words from distance they cannot stand up for. They abuse magic from states or countries away, claiming they have rights to. For in this world, people use the Police as their shield, giving them rights to spout vileness toward others without consequence. But if shown that Honor does still exist, and that Honor is the way we are supposed to be, maybe then their opinions might change”. This was a thing Omen stood behind vehemently, and had seen in his mind more than once. Not only was he enraged for what Tim had done to him individually, but the Father wished Wrath dealt upon him for using His Name as a tool to steal away Jamie for himself. But just like the situation with Elle, for now these thoughts had to be removed. Omen’s mind became focused and clear as he stood up, taking a shower to rinse off the salt and dirt from the bath water.

Omen dried himself off, walking back into his room. He acquired suitable clothing, then wrapped his coat around his shoulders. For quite some time, Omen’s coat had been a staple of his outfit. It was the coat given to him by the Army, which was designed to go over the Class A uniform when it rained. But Omen now wore it draped over his shoulders like a cloak most of the time, even as needed using the sleeves for storage. Omen’s coat was the same as the robe worn by mages in the stories of old in it’s use, for it was donned when Omen moved around for his protection, as well as to enhance his energies. The coat seemed to hang perfectly on Omen’s shoulders, even staying still without being button through most blowing winds. When Omen raised his arms to his sides, the coat extended out in the blowing wind like wings, making Omen wish that all the tales of Vampires were true. He wished he could fly, it would be a nice counterpoint to the constant hunger. For now that Elle was gone, Omen had no donor from which to feed. But Omen had learned to go long periods without, so as not to become too dependant on the blood’s energy. Like any other drug, the energy absorbed in vampirism can be extremely addicting. This was what it seemed had now happened to Kindra, and Omen refused to go down that same road.

Once the area was cleaned out, Omen shut the door to his room. He opened the closet door, then turned off all the lights. Omen sat down in front of the open closet cross-legged, staring straight into it. Omen focused his mind on the feeling he had gotten from the closet earlier, seeking to identify it. This was not some single spirit, for it did not move at all. The energy remained stationary, and seemed to swirl and twist on itself. Omen tried to stare further into the energy, to sense a reason for its existence. The image he saw in his mind was of a soldier swinging his weapon against wooden men, practicing his technique. This made no sense to Omen, so he continued to look. As he did so, Omen thought back to a conversation he had recently with another, about a Gate this person had opened near their home. The shed in which the Gate had been opened had been destroyed, and the Gate itself had been closed. But as Omen stood in that place there was still a strange feeling, as if just to stand there you could tell something had existed there that was not meant to. Omen remembered the feeling he had, and the associated energetic scar he had felt. As he stared into the swirling energy, he realized that he was looking at an active Gate. This was a hole, cut through the dimensions of reality. A door, which had a great deal many things on the other side, many of which are not friendly. From his training under Abbadon, Omen remembered an important topic they had talked about repeatedly. “When you open a door, anything on the other side that can fit through it will attempt to do so. If the door is left open, many will push their way through.”

Omen pictured the Gate in his mind. The swirling energy was that hole that shouldn’t exist, the same thing Abbadon had told Omen about so many times. These were the things Abbadon used to remove, to maintain balance across the Earth. Omen felt the energy continue to swirl, and from it the tentacles of fear attempted to grip Omen. He began to feel presences on the other side of it, which seemingly awaited their turn to enter the door. As he felt this, several of the spirits reached out toward him, attempting to enter inside his mind. Omen prevented this, quickly retreating back into himself. This Gate was a serious problem, as the spirits on the other side wished to flood out into the world, a thing that could only bring more chaos. Omen sought guidance on what he was to do, and he saw the same image he had before he had understood the Gate. Omen focused in on the image, and he realized that the man swinging the sword against the wooden training dummies shared his face. This image represented Omen, and he was training for combat.

Omen heard Abbadon’s voice inside his mind. “This is the reason the Gate was opened, that you might understand it fully. Now you see the complication inherent in many of these rotten holes being opened all over the world. The flood of negative spiritual energy would never stop, and Humanity would exist more in possession than in themselves. This Gate is your training, for the next step you seek in your progress.”

Omen spoke into the Darkness. “What shall I do Abbadon? What steps must be taken to be rid of this vile hole? I cannot damage the house, for it is not mine to do so with.”

“Do not worry Omen, what is required will do no damage to the physical residence in which you stay currently. But damage will be done, in order for you to be capable of sealing this Gate. The damage will be done to you personally, based on what you must do.”

Omen was a bit startled by Abbadon’s words. “I will have to suffer to close the Gate? What must I endure for this, does it require my blood to be spilled?”

“No, but it will require a sacrifice to be made of yourself. But in doing so, you will be one step closer to your final goal.”

“What is the goal I seek in closing these Gates? Am I training to be like you?”

“No, your path is much different. I was capable of closing any Gate I came into contact with at will, you are not. Nor will you be capable of sealing any Gate you wish, the Gates are quite specific that you must close. The reason for this is simple: these Gates are to be taken inside you. The way in which you will seal each one that you are tasked with is to draw all of it into yourself, making yourself absorb the energy of the Gate.”

Omen stared at the Gate, thinking about all the stories Abbadon had told him about his tasks throughout the Ages. His ability to manipulate the Gates had nearly driven him mad, for it allowed Demons to constantly whisper in his ear, attempting to convince Abbadon to give up. He said the voices were intolerable with their incessant complaining, and that after so many years of it he had been glad to be rid of the Power. Abbadon had told him a slew of stories, and had trained him in every way possible. But Omen was still unsure if all this would be enough to manipulate such a strong and violent energy. But this was a task sent down from the Father, and Omen could not simply leave the Gate open in Kindra’s home. Omen calmed his mind as he went outside for a moment, for smoking was not allowed indoors.

As he smoked, Omen contemplated what he must do. He knew that absorbing that strong energy would not be easy. He knew that it would cause him to have to deal with more voices, trying to make their opinions heard. Omen also had the terrible feeling, which he knew came from the Father, that absorbing the energy of such a terrible thing would cause extended damage to Omen himself. Holding it inside himself could only lead to his decay, for the energy is too powerful for the Human body to contain permanently. So why would the Father demand this? What was the point in setting himself up to die faster, if he was meant to do important things? Omen asked these questions in his mind, and the response came with the same need for internal strength that Omen had always felt just before something major was about to happen. Omen smiled, knowing the Father was by his side. As long as that were true, Omen would not fear the Power of the Gate, and would find a way to do as he was instructed.

Omen entered his room, sitting back down in front of the closet. He focused himself deeply, concentrating on the whole of himself. In order to absorb energy like this, and combine it into himself, Omen would have to see every inch of his energy, that he might absorb the Gate completely. Omen’s aura filled the room in which he sat, seeming to make the pitch black of the room even darker. Spinning inside the aura were the bright chakras, but the heart chakra in the center was gone. In it’s place was a spinning source of energy, but it was nowhere near the same. Attempting to stare into it produced no result, other than a feeling of warmth and strength. It was the same as the feeling he had been given by the Father so many times, the internal strength that kept him going through all his trials. Was this ball his True Center? Had all his emotions been an illusion? Omen knew he must ponder these questions later, and turned his focus back to the Gate.

The energy swirled even more violently than before, as if the Gate itself was aware that Omen intended to take its Power into himself. It could almost be heard to protest and argue with him as he focused himself deeper on it. Omen made his energy his weapon again, grasping the energetic edges of the hole. Then, as he forced the hole to grow smaller, he drew his mind to the edge, the point between where the spirits stood and where the Earth existed. He grasped ahold of all the energy from those two edge points, creating a second energy inside the hole. It was made with the energy of the hole, but also with Omen’s energy. In this way, Omen made himself the Gate. Now the energy of the Gate was also Omen’s, and it seemed to flow into him easily. As Omen pulled the swirling energy of the gate inside, he also used that same swirling energy to strengthen the barrier he had placed in between. In this way, the entirety of it grew continuously stronger, feeding off itself. The Gate energy fed off what it took in the attempt to break down the wall. The wall was strengthened by Omen, who drew added power of the energy of the Gates. It birthed itself into a perfect cycle by design, but there was a flaw. Over time, this constant recycling of energy would make it too large for the body to contain, and the energy would lash out in response. Omen would begin to become overpowered by the spirits, and eventually they would destroy his mind. This existed as Truth because it could be seen as an “energetic fact” that the same small container cannot hold a constantly growing substance, even if that substance is intangible.

Omen opened his eyes. The energy in the closet could not be felt. Had Omen been successful? He could only think of one way to test that theory. He called to Storm, who walked into the room seconds after. Omen looked at the familiar, and asked if the closet had been fixed. He made no motions toward it, nor did he even move his gaze from Storm. After he asked the question, Omen went and sat on his bed. Storm walked over into the closet, nosed around inside for a bit, then turned and walked over to Omen, nuzzling him and purring softly, quickly falling asleep. It seemed Omen had accomplished what he set out to do, and the Gate had been locked inside him. Omen had assumed as much, from the increased level of chaos that now existed in his mind. It was as if Omen was seeing 100 images all at the same time, and trying to interpret the meanings of any one of them. This would be a problem, Omen would have to get it under control somehow.

Omen went back outside, taking his phone and headphones with him. He went walking, taking time to pray to the Father. Omen thanked Him for giving him the strength to endure yet another trial, and professed his will to push on even further. Omen swore he would not give up, that nothing could stop him from achieving the Father’s Plan for his life. As he sang, he felt the presence of many spirits around him. They all seemed to join in the song, compelled to worship the Darkness from which they came. Omen felt that the spirits had flooded out of the hole since he had started worshiping, and that they must be forced back inside. This would not be a simple task, but Abbadon reassured Omen that it was easily doable. For now that he was intertwined with the energy of the Gate, he could use that energy as an enhancement to his own. Omen thought about how this might be done, smiling after a few songs worth of worship.

When the time was right for Omen to leave, during his last song Omen pulled the spirits back in. As he sang, his energy projected a massive vortex out from his chest, drawing all the spirits that had walked out the door back inside it. Omen made sure not to extend to vortex too far, for he did not want to disturb any natural spirits in the area. Once he had drawn them all back inside, Omen used his energy to lock the door, sealing them back on the other side of the wall he had built between them. They rioted and raged at Omen for forcing them back into the Pit, but he paid them no heed. They did not belong, they were not meant to exist in that way on this Earth, and thus they had to be sent back. Omen left the place where he was worshiping, happy with the new lessons he had learned.

Omen walked back to Kindra’s, contemplating all that he had seen and experienced on this very important day. He had seen visions that stated he might be needed to teach people on a massive scale, even if it meant doing so by placing his own honor on trial. He had seen visions of the distant past, a time which is so misunderstood by Humans in this day and Age. And now, Omen was given a task unlike any other. To seal a Gate inside himself, knowing that it was a hazardous risk. He wondered what things might possibly lie next on his Path that dared compete with everything he had already been through. But he felt that need for resolve again, and that meant the Trials were far from over. It seemed that the Gate Omen absorbed had still not been enough to complete whatever the Father intended, but Omen continued on with a smile. For if he had been fearless enough, and strong enough of will, to endure everything he had been through, Omen knew he would not be stopped now. The Father’s Plan would be made a reality, one way or another. These were the thoughts Omen kept in his mind as he drifted off to sleep, weary from all he had experienced.

21

Omen’s eyes fluttered as he awoke. But he was lying on a cold floor, not in the bed where he had been previously. He began to look around, and suddenly recognized the Throne Room which he had stood in before. Omen snapped awake, quickly locating the Throne and kneeling before it.

“Father, why has Your child been summoned to You?”

“Because you have questions, and I have answers for them. What you have just done is an amazing thing, one few would be capable of doing for any other than themselves. You have managed to pull the energy of an active Gate inside yourself, and actually combined it into your being. This success proves that my design of you was correct, and you are now growing exactly as planned. But the next steps lie before you, and it will not be long until you must complete them.”

“Father, simply instruct me on what my next task must be, and I shall complete it. Having seen all that You have allowed me to endure, I know I am ready for what comes next.”

“So be it. The Gate you have absorbed is not the only one which must be. In total, there are eight Gates that you must draw into yourself. In doing so, you will create the energy intended to replace what was removed from you, something that cannot simply be given. But know that each Gate you absorb in this way will strengthen it’s effect on your mind and body. In order to save yourself from the destruction of your mind, all eight must be absorbed within a certain period of time.”

Omen was shocked. Eight Gates? One had been tormenting enough, Omen could only imagine the effect eight would have. “Where are these Gates Father? How might I locate them? And if the effect on me increases with each absorption, how can I survive once all eight are inside?”

“Many of the Gates you already know. Of the eight, you have absorbed one. Five exist all in one place, for you created them there. One exists of massive size and strength nearby, this one you know as well. That makes seven. The task falls on you to locate and close an eighth Gate, and on the appropriate day.”

“Appropriate day?”

“Yes. To keep you moving on this, as well as to enforce the power of this magic, the last Gate is to be closed on the day gripped in Man’s fear of it, which is not far off. As far as your question about your stability once complete, you have no other choice. By removing the emotional essence of yourself, you left a large hole. In order to keep it from being filled with the energies of Demons, your center was filled with Darkness. But you survive now by feeding off of that, which slowly degenerates it to nothing. To increase your longevity, that energy has to be properly reconnected to it’s Source. This is the way in which that will be done, and once it is complete you will understand for yourself. Until then have faith as you always have, for your time is not through yet.”

“Yes Father, and thank you as always for answering my questions, that I might not waste any time preparing my next actions.”

Omen awoke, lying again inside his room in Kindra’s apartment. Storm was lying next to him, as if guarding Omen’s body as his mind was away in the dream. Omen petted the cat for awhile, thanking Storm for his vigilance. Then he got up to start his day, now with new information to process. it seemed he had much to figure out, and not a lot of time to do it in. After grabbing a bite to eat, Omen sat out in his truck, trying to locate the other Gates the Father had spoken of. His clues had been somewhat vague, but Omen knew they were specific enough to be able to find the Gates with effort and thought. So Omen sat for some time, contemplating the locations of the Gates.

The first clue that the Father had given was that five of the Gates all existed in one place, and that Omen had created them. But Omen did not recall attempting to open any Gates, let alone five in a single location. But then he redefined what a Gate was inside his mind. It was a tear, of whatever size, that had been opened in reality, that spiritual energy might transfer to and from the other side. Realizing this fact, Omen knew right where to go. For during his time in Texas, at one point he had gone to the club looking for fun. He repeated the process from the other clubs, but this time the club had two distinct floors that needed runes. But the design still worked out well, and Omen had made the same runic star as he had before. The club must be the location of the five Gates, one each which rested on each of the points Omen had drawn to create the star. With five Gates in such a small location, Omen wondered what might have gotten out through them, what hazards awaited the people that visited the club.

Omen thought back to his discussions with Abbadon. He was told something that he felt applied in this situation. “In order to pass through, a spirit must be able to associate with the door through which it passes. For example, a spirit of life cannot pass through a door created in death.” So that meant whatever spirit had passed through the Gates had to be associated with the energy Omen had created the Gates with. Omen thought back to that night. He opened the Gates to swirl the energy, to enhance the party for everyone, that all would have a great time. Through this he could feed and they would all be enhanced, this was the nature of the spell. Omen tried to think back to his more recent memories of the club. Due to Omen’s recent span of time with Elle, he had not gone back for some time.

Kindra, however, did seem to gravitate there often. The one time she invited Omen to go with her there was an argument almost right away. Not between Omen and Kindra, but between Omen and their neighbor, a lesbian female who was being quite “protective” of someone that was not the girl she lived with. Omen had tried simply to dance with Kindra, as she had asked him to. But the female had demanded that Omen get away from Kindra, that only she was allowed to dance with her. Omen raged, but calmed himself without serious issue. Though immediately after she refused to correct her friend, Kindra had beer spilled down on her from the sky, as a careless patron lost control of their drink. She had a fit, and for some reason seemed to direct her rage at Omen. Fed up with the nonsense, Omen left them to enjoy the club alone. Soon after he left, for both of them had gone on as if Omen had never been invited at all. Later that night, upon her return, Kindra attempted to apologize. But Omen saw through it, as he had seen the truth of Kindra. She only wanted someone to feed from, she did not care if it was Omen or the female.

Though he had been upset with his neighbor, he had allowed fences to mend. Omen found it hard to hold grudges against people, for there was too much more important than his individual Hatred. Several days before, they had spoken as she was on her way inside from work. She mentioned the club, even invited Omen to go with her the next night. She had even told amazing stories about her recent visit, and all the things that went on. She said the party was happier than it had ever been inside the club. She said people were walking around, sharing weed with one another and not asking for a dime. She said people just seemed to be lost in the party, and didn’t care about anything else. Not the law, not the rules, not the other people around them. All they wanted was to enjoy their night while they were in the club, and to share it with lots of people. This was a story that Omen’s neighbor said she had not only been told by others, but had experienced personally.

Thinking back on all these things, Omen had to chuckle a bit. For inside, he knew right away what was causing this strange behavior. After all, what is a club? It is a building inside which many people gather to share drink and merriment with one another, simply for the sake of the party. These are the exact same energies as that of Belial, under whom Omen had trained originally. The inside of a club, where the energies of partying and merriment flowed stronger than any other, may as well be considered a Temple dedicated to Belial. And if Omen had opened five Gates inside, Belial himself could easily step through them. This would allow him to occupy the club with his energy, making the party such a joyous feeling for the patrons that they forgot all else. Omen recognized both the location and situation surrounding the five Gates that existed at the club, and planned to go the following Friday night to close them, as well as to convince Belial to return inside.

This left two other Gates to be located. The first one the Father had said was of massive size and strength, and that Omen knew of it. Considering the other Gates were merely created to draw and focus energy, there were several locations this could be. But as Omen focused in on the intent of each spell, he saw that they did not represent this Gate, for they were not created for strength or Power of any kind. Then Omen realized what he had done, and it depressed him that he could have been so foolish in his own past. It was the hole he had created to draw energy in on the bridge spanning the Highway that needed to be closed. For as Omen had felt before and been told by everyone of a magical nature, the hole had grown in strength. By drawing in energy almost constantly, the tear had become significantly larger. This was to be the seventh Gate Omen would have to close, existing in massive size and strength. This left only one Gate left to locate and close to complete the task assigned by the Father. Omen began to draw up plans for how he would deal with the individual Gates once he encountered them, preparing to take his next steps.

As he did so, Omen contemplated the location of the eighth Gate. The others had seemed so simple, but this last one was not quite so. As he considered it, Omen felt Abbadon come to his side. He looked into the eyes of his trusted friend, saw a Gate inside them. Omen stared into Abbadon’s eyes, searching for the nature of the Gate within. It’s energy moved slowly, but was extremely powerful. Even approaching sent chills down Omen’s spine, as felt though he might freeze internally. He reached out toward the Gate, attempting to see what lie on the other side of it. As the Gate shifted slightly, Omen saw a face inside the massive energy. This face was familiar to Omen, and he immediately pulled himself back from the energetic search.

“Are you serious?”

“Yes. What you felt is correct, the energy of the eighth Gate exists the same as the face you saw inside it.”

Omen sighed heavily. The last Gate would be a challenge, moreso than any of the others. “A Gate created in the energies of Azrael….The energies of Death Itself.”

“Exactly. There are many vile Gates that have been opened in the world in this way throughout time. Though it is not determined which one you must choose, the one chosen must be a Gate born in death. This will be your last absorption, and will happen on the day you were instructed.”

Omen thought back. “The Father never told me exactly which day, He just said it was coming and gave me clues.”

“Of course he didn’t. That you have to find on your own. But it is coming very soon. Think about it, what day will have people all wound up and scared?”

Omen pulled out his phone, looking at the calendar. It was nearly the end of November. Christmas was coming, but people did not fear that time. The New Year was coming, but that had only been feared during the year 2000, when people thought their machines would stop working. He felt like he was still missing something, so he opened the calendar on his phone. What day was coming that had people afraid for their lives? Omen ran his finger down the dates, finally stumbling on the answer.

“Of course. The 3 Day, where the three numbers for day, month, and year finally match. Humans have been scared for some time now over all the Mayan calendars, and the supposed End projected in December of 2012. That day is perfect, for so many have become afraid of it that it will be filled with the Power of Fear. This will enhance the energies of Darkness, allowing for a better assimilation of the Final Gate. Is that correct?”

Abbadon smiled just a bit at Omen. “Most of it, yes. The parts that are not you will see soon enough. I am proud of you Omen, for coming so far on your own.”

Omen raised an eyebrow. “That is not true, not one bit. I am here now because the efforts and sacrifices of many, especially myself. But I could not have done this alone, and I thank you for all the assistance you continue to give me.”

Abbadon left, and Omen sat to ponder his future. The mission to seal these Gates inside him would prove to be extremely difficult. It also left Omen to question the necessity for such a thing. Why did he need eight Gates, what was the reason? He tried to remember references made in various stories told about Gates and their uses. But many that existed were more like legends than explanations, and many carried desperate warnings about the dangers of the Gates. But in reference to number, there were even fewer places to look. But almost all the places found spoke on the significance of Nine Gates to Hell, a thing which many Satanists had fought to find a way to open. But the number was always nine, never eight, so this could not possibly be what Omen was dealing with. But then Omen considered the stories about the Nine Gates, and all he now understood about the Creation of Gates themselves. These little holes allowed many spirits out it seemed. Combined, the power of a few small holes had been enough for Belial to come through and infect an entire club. But all the Gates were different, Created for separate reasons, and allowing different kinds of spirits to flow in and out of them freely. But the references to the Gates in story was more like a progression of events, where the Gates were opened individually one by one. Upon the opening of the Ninth Gate, all the denizens of Hell, no matter the size or type, would be capable of flowing in and out of the Earth freely.

This also became akin to what others called “tearing down the Veil”, the point at which there is no longer a barrier between the Spirit Realm and the Physical Earth. It is said that, once the Veil is destroyed, the spiritual forces of Hell will overtake the planet, infesting the minds and hearts of Humanity. In doing so, they will cause the Humans to act so violently and selfishly that they wage massive wars against themselves. For without the last barrier, which protects most Humans from the things that can overpower their minds, the mass of Humanity will be overtaken. As the Humans fight and bicker, eventually their actions will cause their own destruction. Omen had understood this Plan for quite some time, as being closely connected to the Father allows one to be understanding of such schemes. Even as far back as his time living with Fenris in Tennessee, Omen had been prepared to do his part, whatever that might be. Omen was just as willing to defend the barrier as he was to destroy it, but he would only do either at the demand of the Father.

Omen thought on this more, and began to be filled with both pride and extreme dread. He felt the Father inside his mind, and Omen begged to know why this would exist. Understanding what he had just figured out meant he sat in a terrible position, but had been tasked to do exactly as he had said he would. For Omen knew the Father was still seen by so many as Evil, because they understand nothing more than they are told to. But as Omen made any sort of stand in the Name of the Father, he would have enemies that sprung up everywhere. People would despise his words, both for what they believed to be lies and what he had revealed. Many would seek to do Omen harm for this, some might even go after his life. This act would be a violent and selfish murder, as Omen would never go down without a fight. An act such as this would open a powerful Gate, as Omen’s spirit passed to Hell. But with eight Gates already stored inside, if such a thing was to happen, the Power of all nine would be released at once. The size and stability of the Gate that was created would be such as to allow a sort of “permanent passage”, for there would be no spell or sacrifice that would equal the kind of strength with which the Gates were opened. In this way, Omen himself would be strengthened by the Power of the Gates, and much more able to tap in to what he needed to.

But he also would hold a sort of “spiritual bomb”, which was yet another of the various things that were stated upon the Original Creation of Humanity as being proper steps. For like all experiments, Humanity had a time frame with which to prove useful for the reasons they were Created. Omen had been told this multiple times over the years, but it wasn’t until now that he truly understood it. As in the Human world, where people search for answers to various complications they face, so too was Humanity Created experimentally. If proven to be unworthy, if they continued to live only for their day-to-day selfishness, then as an experiment they would be abandoned. In order to start a new experiment, the habitat would have to be cleared out, to allow the newly Created species to grow and thrive. In this way, the Creators would experiment with varying species, until they found one that would be capable of properly reaching the Goal of the experiment. This is a process all scientists use in order to answer their questions, trial and error.

All that Omen saw, and all he had felt over the time that the Father had been coming to him, screamed that Humanity was headed straight towards that error category. Life was miserable for most people, as they were forced to do things they hated simply to survive at all. Pieces of paper and the Men that Created them dominate the world, with the help of it’s individual governments. People are forced to have no home, no food, no shower, and no hope, simply because they do not have pieces of paper. Compassion has almost died in the world, as more people wish death on those around them than they wish good tidings. The leaders of Humanity are quickly pushing towards the violent endpoint that all seem to see coming, but refuse to put a stop to. All the major countries of the world hide behind weapons whose disgusting forces pollute Earth, sea, and sky. They all hold their fingers over big red buttons, threatening to destroy each other. They plot and scheme behind each other’s backs, waiting for signs of a weakness in the other. Humanity was not the kind of species that deserved more, for they abused what little they had been given. As they were, they would all be condemned.

Every time he thought about this in the past, it had made Omen quite depressed. He didn’t want to be considered a failed experiment, he wanted to fulfill the Plan. He had questioned the Plan over the entirety of his spiritual growth, and had learned much over the years. Now, being turned into a tool for this process, Omen was both saddened and joyous. For this meant that Humanity stood on the edge of a cliff. But as has been proven throughout history, when backed into a corner people are capable of great things. Omen had seen visions of the progression of society, of its ability to advance to the level of the dreams of Man. These stood in contrast to the destruction he also saw them pushing toward. This meant that there were two distinct possibilities, progress and extinction. Omen focused in on the progress, as he had always known that was the Will of the Father. He had invented the idea for Humanity in the first place, we were His Children first. He had no want for us to be destroyed, He wanted his theories about the amazing potential inside Humanity to be proven correct. Omen wondered how this might be done, and he was shown many things. Omen wished he had better connections, people that have particular knowledge. Omen even contacted his father, who knows people that deal with computer coding. But Omen’s father was unhelpful as usual, not wanting his Satanic son to further any goals that weren’t “Christian-based”. Omen felt as if he had a thousand ideas for things that need to be put into place, and basic steps on where to begin each process.

These ideas continued to expand on, past Human growth on the Earth to their migration through the stars, and the possibility that Humans might even be capable of reaching the places from which they were birthed. In doing so, Humans would have proven their will to expand and grow as a whole rather than bicker and fight over individual needs. This is the kind of honorable and dignified species that the Creators seek, in order to fulfill a specific purpose. Humans were meant to migrate between the Light and the Darkness, strengthening Existence as a whole. To be forced to understand the physical meaning of this, Omen was shown a series of scientific and mathematic visions. The first reminded Omen of the approximate percentage of water that the Human body is comprised of. He was reminded that, like all things, energy dilutes over time as it is recycled. The second referenced all the studies done on the average percentage of the Human mind that is actively used. Omen’s mind was posed the question, “If the percentage was less in the body and more in the mind, if the DNA was re-adjusted to allow a stronger connection to the Source energies, would Humans not be capable of much more?”

But to prove themselves worthy of such a genetic manipulation, to give Humans the Gifts Originally intended in their Creation, Humans had to first be capable of using the Gifts they were given properly, and for the right reasons. For the reason to have Power is not to dominate and rule over those who have less, but to use that Power to enhance everyone, and thereby strengthen yourself as well. This was where Humanity had continually failed over the Ages, as every form of society Created seemed to war with others for control of the whole. People refuse to allow others to just exist and enjoy their lives, forcing religion and government down people’s throats to control them. One by one, every Age of Humanity had proved unworthy of the Gift of Life, and were destroyed for it. But this would not continue, Humanity was never fully destroyed in any of the previous strikes from the Gods. But the time for that Final Judgement was coming. Humanity would either mend their ways, or face annihilation.

Omen now knew his task, and it weighed heavily on his shoulders. He had to be the one to stand up against all the things Humanity was doing to itself, to try and open the eyes of the people. His mission was to get them to awaken, and see the End they faced. In doing so, Omen was ordered to do his best to help them push for progression, and the destruction of all the Lies that had oppressed Humanity. Omen was to be a warrior for the Father, and to stand for His Truth against all opposition. If challenged, he was to defend the honor of both himself and his Father vehemently. Omen was no longer a child, seeking the path to his Father. He had been assimilated into the Armies of Hell, and had been given a mission of great importance. For he had proven himself worthy of such a task, through everything he had endured in the Father’s Name. Omen saw many hazards in following his Path, but he stood fearlessly in front of them all. For the visions he had been shown of the other possibility were more than Omen could bear.

Over the years, Omen had been shown more than once what the vileness of Men would lead to. At first he hadn’t believed that people would be either stupid enough or capable of such atrocity. But as he had bounced from place to place, Omen had seen and learned much about people. It seemed this was their nature, to argue and bicker with one another in order to serve their own selfish needs. Everything he had been through was just a few of the multitude of examples of Humanity’s failure, as people force pain on even those that claim love for them. As this condition worsened, as Men continued to degenerate, it could only lead them into violent war with one another. At some point, the ignorance of Men would cause them to attempt to assert total dominance over the people of the Earth. To make the governments of the world force all the people to accept their control in every aspect of their lives. This will push the people to revolt against the ones that seek to control them, for people are not born slaves.

No matter the reason, the Path Humanity was walking as a whole was leading them to destruction. It would not matter what spark started the fire that scorched the Earth, simply that the war was coming. But in scorching the Earth, their vile weapons would also rip to shreds the weakening atmosphere, which would cause a distortion in the planet’s stability as a whole. It would finish the work that Humanity has so diligently pushed for through years of abusing their fossil fuels and aerosols. For it would not be one explosion in a remote location, but many spread across the world. This would happen as each major nation chose their side, and attacked their enemies full force. The goal would be to wipe their enemies clean before the air and ground combat was ever started, so as to mitigate losses amongst their loyal followers. All the people killed would be viewed as collateral damage, a thing sometimes viewed as feasible in times of war.

In doing so, the massive damage done as the vile chemicals and radiations were released into the atmosphere would be severe. It would further damage the ozone layer, which has already been seen to have suffered severely. For the heat of the sun and the cold of space now seem to come in faster, and seem to meet less resistance. This is proven by the shift in weather, the ozone has been weakened. The massive damage done by these weapons will finish it off, causing a misery Humans have seen coming for some time. Without the protection of the ozone, the heat of the sun will scorch the ground, making the growing of crops nearly impossible. When the sun was not present, the coldness of space would sap the heat from the planet, making every night miserably cold. This process would continue to cause more people to die than already had, as sickness and famine gripped the world. Wars now broke out over what little supplies remained in the world, and more lives were sacrificed.

The people prayed to their Gods to save them from what they were going through. But it was too late, Humanity had chosen for itself. Humans moved underground, to try and save themselves from the heat and cold of the surface. But then the Earth was assaulted by the stars, and the resulting cracks in the ground opened up the core of the planet. From inside flooded all the aged beasts that had been trapped there since Ancient Times, when Leviathan was first struck down. These massive beasts of the sea came to devour the remnants of Humanity, and retake the planet for themselves. In response to this threat, Humanity advanced their technology even further, preparing to wage war on the beasts. But in the moment of this battle they were betrayed, as many of their own had been plotting to abandon their brethren. As some went to war with the beasts of the sea, others took what little technology remained, and left the Earth with it. Those abandoned saw the fire of the ship’s launch into space, and their hearts dropped in the reality of it. Their forces were soon overcome, and the children of Leviathan reclaimed the Earth and it’s seas.

The remnants of Humanity, packed aboard the tiny vessel they had built with what little working technology remained, searched for a new habitat. They took the first place they found that would suit them, claiming it as their own. But they soon found they were not alone, and had to fight against the natural predators of the new world. To do so, Humans needed new technology, but did not have the numbers or ability to do so alone. They opened the intelligence of their machines, taking them with the elimination of the natural species. The machines, having access to all Human recorded history, made the decision that Humanity was a threat to any environment they entered, proven both by their destruction of the Earth, and their attempt to dominate species that had existed on the new planet for longer peaceably. They turned on their Creators, and Humans were finally wiped out by the machines they had Created for the wrong reasons.

Omen saw the progression of these things like a visual story that played out in his mind, as Humanity pushed itself further and further down the road that led to their eventual destruction. This was what he worked to prevent, this is what had to be stopped. Not simply for his own sake, nor for any person or group of people on the Earth. Omen would fight against this future because it was the Will of his Father. Even as he was talked poorly of, treated like less of a person, and attacked by those around him, Omen still had to stand for Humanity’s last hope. This was his mission, and he would be given as many tools as he would seek in order to do so. For there would be many that would also see the need for change, and would come to Omen to assist in the cause. Omen concerned himself not with the people who asked for his help, merely with the necessity for change in the world. This was the goal, and the only chance Humanity had to mean more than a failed experiment in the history of Everything. Omen laid down in bed, his mind focused on the locations of the Gates he was to close soon. He would be ready, the Gates would be sealed inside him properly. One way or another, time was the one thing it seemed Humanity was running out of.

22

Omen rummaged through the things in his room. Finally locating all the clothes he wished to take with him, he started a load of laundry. He was preparing to go on a trip, among many other things Omen readied for. He pulled out his phone, checking the time. It was only seven o’clock, Omen still had alot of time to finish getting ready. In a few hours, it was time for the next step. Omen had made sure that his hair was freshly trimmed, and his face was shaven. Hanging on the bar which also held Kindra’s punching bag were the neatly pressed clothes Omen had selected for the evening. But since he still had several hours before it was time to leave, Omen spent the time in between packing his bags in preparation. For he only had a few more days until he had to board a bus, that would drive him to the train station.

It had been about two weeks since Omen had accepted the task of absorbing eight Gates into himself. Since then, many things had come to pass. After being transferred to a place called ASH in Austin, Elle had found a way to contact Omen. They had stayed in contact, as Omen helped her through the remnants of her complication. Through discussion and reasoning, it was uncovered that Elle had a Gate inside her home. There was no known deaths to occur in the home, but Death leaked out through the Gate. The kittens were the first to pay this price, starting just before the trip to Sigma. Omen’s tiny white kitten, who was abandoned at birth and sickly, was the first taken. Just as he was starting to eat and become normal again, just as the worm medication Omen bought for him was removing his complications, as everyone slept one night it got extraordinarily cold. The kitten, Caius, who had caged alone due to his illness, froze to death in the unnatural cold, which lasted only a few hours before passing. But by the morning, as he was awoken by saddened faces, Omen saw the result. The pain and fear frozen on the kitten’s face had broken Omen’s heart that day, and Omen spent the day burying his kitten.

But now, as Omen was no longer allowed at the house, and Elle was locked up in ASH, all Omen could do was hear stories. Stories about more of the cats disappearing, to that point that every last one of the kittens was gone. Stories from Samantha about how miserable life had become in the house with them gone. Stories about the mother’s condition growing worse, and her spending almost every day drinking with her half-witted brother. She treated Samantha so poorly that the girl was found daily to walk down the street and sit conversing with Omen in his truck rather than be at her own house. Brian would frequently come there as well, and Karl and his younger brother were known to stop by occasionally. Without Elle around anymore, Omen seemed to be their only connection to each other. Most of his time spent with them was discussing things he was learning, lessons he thought they needed to learn individually, and Elle’s condition.

Omen had become the only person outside of the counselors at ASH that Elle would speak to. She felt betrayed by her own family, for she had done nothing wrong. When Elle’s mother wished to come visit her, Elle demanded that Omen be brought along. She said that if he was not, Elle would not allow anyone to visit her. Her mother griped and complained as usual, but caved to Elle’s demands. However, this did not stop her from demanding Omen pay the gas costs for everyone to go visit. And even after he had, when he said things they did not agree with, Elle’s mother and her rotten brother threatened to throw Omen out on the side of the road. Their consistent haste was found later to have caused much more damage than originally thought. For Omen had brought with him the gift he had bought for Elle Thanksgiving evening, a ring trimmed in purple gems and tiny diamonds. He decided to bring it to her early, to uplift her spirits while she was trapped in the center. But as they drove, Omen realized that the bag was missing. A search of the entire vehicle turned up no trace.

After the visit, it was found. It had been run over repeatedly, in the street where Omen had been forced to sit and wait for them to get ready to leave. It must’ve fallen out right after they picked him up, as he climbed into the van. Omen checked the box for the ring itself, and found that it had been crushed flat. Most of the gems still remained in the box, though they had separated from the ring. Omen was terribly upset by this, for he had waited anxiously to give Elle her present for some time. Now he worried that she would never know the beauty of the gift he had gotten for her. But Omen had gone back tot he store with the remnants of the ring, and sadly told the truth to the clerk. Based on the insurance Omen had purchased, they happily ordered a replacement ring to be made, and told him it would be ready within a few weeks.

Days later, Elle said she was coming home. This filled Omen with joy, as he had known the moment was coming soon. Once she was brought home Elle quickly went right back to Omen’s side, a thing that terribly upset her mother. Omen was kept banned from the property, but now the mother’s arrogance had gone even further. For when the woman decided she wanted to force her opinions into Omen’s ears, she would simply stop her van next to Omen’s broken down vehicle and start talking at him. She acted like Omen was forced to listen to her, a fact he quickly disputed in front of everyone. He went off on Elle’s mother, telling her to keep her drunken ignorance limited to her own home, and to stop harassing him. She would stop, but only for so long. It seemed every time the woman drank now, she felt she could go anywhere she wanted and harass people. Omen was getting about tired of her vileness, for her appearance caused disturbances with everyone there.

But Omen was trying to be polite to the woman, and for good reason. It had been determined that Elle had a Gate in her house, and Omen wished to close it as his eighth. He said that in doing so, it would stop the constant flow of spiritual energy that had infected their home. Omen had developed a method by which to do so in preparation for it. But Elle’s mother refused to believe anything Omen said, as well she refused his help with her problem. The ban remained in place, meaning that Omen could not legally enter the house. This meant he would get nowhere near Brie’s room, where the Gate was said to be located. Elle begged her mother to allow Omen one chance to fix what had caused them so many problems, but she was held firmly by what existed in the house. Every time she came around, Omen could see the vile spirits that held her, making her refuse to believe anything Omen said was true. In this way they kept their door both open and protected from Omen, and after awhile he had to accept that it would remain this way.

Due to the stubbornness of Elle’s mother, Omen was unable to close the Gate in her home. But Omen still had a time frame to keep, and this meant he had to locate another Gate quickly. He did so in conversations with his mother, for much had changed with her. She had been involved in a vehicle accident, and in doing so had accidentally opened her third eye. Now she could see the spirits that Omen had been telling her about, and she begged for a solution. Omen had given her some basic lessons in magic to protect herself. But upon evaluation, the spirit she saw most was that of a little boy. He described to her how, many years ago, he was kidnapped and murdered. His body was moved and buried elsewhere to hide the misdeed, but that the spirit claimed to have been killed nearby. This was exactly what Omen was searching for, a Gate opened in death. Left with no other options, Omen set to go to Illinois, and visit over the Christmas season. The day after his arrival he would have to locate and close the final Gate, for that was the soonest he could get there while still closing the other Gates. Afterward he would try to visit with his family, that they might get another opportunity to see him before he left again.

For Omen would only go to Illinois for a short time. He left his belongings at Kindra’s and told her he would return in a couple weeks. Because Omen and Elle had started developing a plan for themselves, to end their stagnation in Killeen. Elle had a structured settlement that she had received when she was a child, the result of a severe dog bite. But the settlement was spread out over a long period of time, and not effective for Elle to functionalize her future. After many discussion, Elle decided that the time had perhaps come to consolidate those funds, that she might receive a large sum payment all at once. Omen did not push her in any direction, he simply provided facts and helped her make the decision for herself.

Elle wanted much more than her mother would ever allow her to believe she was capable of. She wanted to return to California, where she had been born. Elle knew Texas was not where she belonged, she constantly wished to be near the ocean again. As well, in California there is a much more progressive mindset on many topics. They were the first to legalize marijuana for medicinal uses, and that practice continues to this day. Omen had Elle both smoked, but for different reasons. Elle’s was due to her chronic pain, as well as the depression caused by her mother’s constant abuse and harassment. Omen smoked it because, especially now, it helped to calm to the chaos in his mind, allowing him the focus to learn what he was being shown without interruption. California seemed like a place more suited to the both of them, so they would not be judged for the one thing they had both found that helped their issues without turning them into “emotionless drones”. But Omen told Elle this was not the only reason to go, there were a multitude.

Being able to acquire a prescription to smoke weed would be nice, and would assist Omen in making his life easier. But this was not his main want in going to California. Omen saw the same potential in the state that he had some time ago, when it was Sara asking him to go. California was a center for business, for entertainment, and for the rich and powerful. In order to make any sort of impact on people, Omen knew he would need to start meeting these people, and finding those who also strove for progress and change. With it’s massive appeal and drawing power, California has been a place for those that seek fame to migrate to. It is a land where people’s dreams are either realized or destroyed, where those that fight to make their dreams reality can do so. This was the perfect reason for Omen to move to California. When the time came, Omen would have people nearby that he could meet with. He knew he was in possession of several ideas that people that make large amounts of money would be fond of. Ways to expand what had already been made, different uses for tools already developed. This would make all the rich and powerful fond of Omen, for he would have methods by which they could earn large sums of money.

But Omen cared little for money. He saw it simply as a tool, used to develop things that needed to be. Omen saw each dollar as a step toward his goal, reaching California and working to awaken the masses. Omen had enough money to make the move, but was told he did not need to. Elle’s father resided in California, and told them they could stay with him temporarily after moving there. For being so loyal and helpful to Elle, her father promised to pay for the moving truck they would need, since almost everything moved would belong to Elle. Omen had almost nothing left of his own, and most of it fit into 3 plastic tubs comfortably. Thus he had no need for a large truck, but Elle could not say the same. She seemed to want to take every small thing she had ever been given with her, even those things that she had no use for. So Omen did not argue her father’s want to pay the costs for the truck, as his responsibility to it was only as it’s driver. For Omen had sworn that he was fully capable of driving from Texas to California, making it cheaper for them to move all their belongings. Elle’s father liked the idea of saving money, and told them he would be ready for them shortly after Christmas. Once Omen returned from visiting his family, it would be almost time to leave. This plan suited Omen and Elle perfectly, for both were tired of living in Texas.

Omen looked at his phone. It was now nine-thirty, Elle would be coming over soon. Tonight was a very important night. At first, Omen had intended to handle it alone. But Elle had begged to come along, saying she desperately wanted to understand the feelings Omen spoke of for herself. Omen had allowed her to do so, as long as she did not disturb his workings. Elle agreed to maintain discipline, and went back to her house to get ready. Omen had been doing the same, and before she left Omen told her to return at ten o’ clock. They would walk together down the street, to a destination that was only blocks away. Tonight Omen was visiting the club, tonight five more Gates were meant to be absorbed. Omen was a bit nervous as he readied himself for the evening, for there was much that had to be considered.

Belial seemed to be in full force in the club. So in addition to absorbing the energies of the Gates, Omen had to convince him to go back prior to closing them. But Omen had confidence in his ability to do so, as Belial was one of his first instructors in magic. Though he hadn’t made his influence known in quite some time, Omen knew Belial was the same as ever. He was enjoying the merriment of the party, making it stronger so everyone would have more fun. For it this energy which strengthens Belial, thus it works in it’s own independent circle of flowing energy from the rest as long as he is present. And as Omen heard more stories from people that had visited the club, it was as plain as day. Belial had placed his own essence into the club itself, and the people were joyously falling into it. He was doing nothing against their will, but he was doing much without their knowledge. But convincing Belial to leave might not be easy. The energy he was receiving directly from all the people in the club was much more than most spirits get nowadays, as people have forgotten those that exist much older and stronger than themselves. So Belial was feeding well for a change, and Omen would have to convince him to stop.

Omen got a message, Elle was on her way. He finished getting dressed, making sure to run his lint roller across his black jeans and button-up shirt. Dressed all in red and black, Omen was ready to present himself properly. His shoes were polished and clean, as Omen had done so with a wet rag. He sprayed himself quickly with cologne, and headed to then door. Elle was just outside, Omen had finished exactly on time. Elle had spent much time getting ready for the evening. Her makeup was done with extra accent on the eyes, and the accents were done in red. She had put on the gift she was given for Christmas and put together as well. The red and black dreadfalls hung down to the center of Elle’s back, matching Omen perfectly. She wore a dress designed much like the garters of old, with other pieces underneath to allow further coverage. She had on a black skirt, much like the tutu worn by a ballerina. She wore black shoes with raised heels, even though she intended to walk to the club. Omen met her in front of the house, and they left together down the street.

Omen put in his headphones, and sang all the way to the club. Omen knew he would need every ounce of his strength to accomplish his mission. He would have to first convince Belial to step back through the Gates made, then draw them all inside himself, combining them with the one he had already absorbed. As Omen and Elle approached the front door of the club, lined across with police cars as usual, he paused Elle for a second.

“Before we go inside, take a moment and pay your respects to Belial. Considering that his energy now encompasses every inch of this club, and every activity done inside here strengthens him, right now this may as well be considered Belial’s Temple. As such, we need to show him our respects before we enter the door. Failing to do sight might anger Belial, and that is a thing we definitely do not want if we wish his assistance in the mission tonight.”

Omen bowed his head, taking a moment to connect to the energy. He felt past the front door, noticing that Belial had not fully come into the club yet. More likely than not, he had taken the opportunity to go out, using one of the people who regularly came to the club as a vessel for his transferrence. This meant he was not present at the club, at least not yet anyway. But it was Friday night, one of the most popular each week for the club, populated mostly by off-duty soldiers. This meant it would be one of the best nights for Belial to feed on the swirling energy of the people. Omen knew it would only be a matter of time until Belial’s essence came to the club, and as such he entered happily. He was asked to check his coat at the door, so Omen removed the contents of the pockets and did so. He ordered drinks for Elle and himself, then began to walk around the club.

Omen sought the locations of the runes he had drawn in the initial spell. But every one he went to had people scattered around, making the ability to stay still and work on the designs impossible. After several laps proved unsuccessful, Omen began to grow agitated. He had important work to do, and these ignorant people were in the way. Omen walked out to the smoking area in a rage, trying to maintain his calm. Elle followed soon after, obviously concerned for Omen’s stability. It had been seen that his emotions flared much easier now that a Gate lie inside him, as Omen struggled with all the presences that were not his own. Elle sat Omen down and talked with him, trying to calm his nerves. The alcohol was not helping Omen deal with his rage, as drinking only seem to make the problems worse in Omen’s mind.

Elle was tapped in magically as well. Since finally overcoming the torments of Sigma, Elle had become quite useful in magical discussion. She was much more capable than Omen of connecting to the spirit of the Earthmother, as she was still connected to her Earthly nature. Elle told Omen she had an idea, a way to fix the problem. They went over to a counter in the back of the smoking area. The end cost was a steep twenty-five dollars, but Omen agreed to pay the expensive tab. Several minutes later, Omen was presented with a large hookah, which had been filled with two flavors of shisha, strawberry and banana. They sat in the club and enjoyed the hookah as they joked about silly things. As they did Omen’s mood lightened, and he began to realize how much time he still had. They sat and joked about the stupidity of Elle’s mother, for allowing a Gate to remain open in her home, just to maintain a stubborn position of disbelief. This was a common trait amongst Humans, whose pride is so great that they will refuse even the hand that could save them from falling off a cliff. But people make their own choices, and that was why Omen was leaving for Illinois. Elle did not want him to go, but she understood the necessity for him to follow the Will of the Father. She knew that Omen was not capable of Human love or attachment anymore, and thus was not the same as he had been. But Elle clutched to Omen tightly anyway, saying she would find a way to progress herself, that she might be capable of continuing on beside him. While Elle was obviously not yet ready to push further, as she had only just healed from the recent assault, Omen saw in her potential to learn. To be useful to the Father as well, to become another piece of His Plan. But this would be a choice she made for herself, when the time was appropriate. Omen smiled at Elle, as she had been one of the few that had listened to what Omen had to say before judging it, which proved her to have an open mind. Perhaps someday, Elle would be given a task by the Father as well, and could decide for herself what side she would choose in the end.

Suddenly, Omen felt an overpowering energy fill the area. As Omen lit a cigarette, attempting to calm himself from the swell of energy, Elle noticed a strange feeling as well. She had no idea what she was feeling, and moved closer to Omen that she might be better protected by his energy. But Omen told her to relax, smiling from ear to ear. What she felt was Belial, he had finally entered the club. Omen told Elle that he would return shortly, that he had to go for a short walk. As he did so, Belial’s voice entered his mind. He heard first the familiar laugh that always accompanied Belial’s arrival, for he truly was merry in spirit. As Omen wandered both levels of the club, Belial spoke into his mind.

Belial met Omen warmly, for they known each other for awhile. His energy swirled around the club, and Omen saw the results. Instantly, the dance floor had filled, as people had given up their worry about the judgments of others. Even the people at the tables were swaying to the music, and many various toasts could be heard throughout the club. The joyous indulgence of Belial had filled the minds of those that wanted such, and the party rose to new heights. More and more people seemed to fill the club, as it began to pack every inch. The sea of people were all lost in their own parties, occasionally asking others to join them. On the dance floor people began to show off their skills, as many types of dancers filled the floor. Omen smiled at the joy Belial was bringing to the people, the truest nature of his Power. For while the Darkness corrupts this joy, turning into abuses of alcohol, drugs, and other people, the true nature of a party is the fun of the gathering.

“So, must there be an end to the joy of these people? You see how much they want to continue the party, why not allow this to be so?”

Omen sighed. “Because if you cannot leave without entering a vessel, you will eventually corrupt the energies here. Soon this party will not be the same. Soon the Darkness will grow too strong, and will cause problems and fighting. This is already starting, as two people were thrown out over an argument over whose party was more important in the club just a bit ago. You know this is true Belial, they cannot handle your energy continually. It corrupts them too much, as the love of alcohol has done to Elle’s mother.”

Omen heard the familiar laugh again inside his mind. “That is too true, those that don’t understand truly are too weak to handle it. More than once since I’ve been here, people have ended up in jail over the minor shred of my energy that they came into contact with, for they chose to use the party to strive for horrible things. One even took the energy of the party, and used it to try and rape a girl he had brought away with him. Humans really do take the Darkness to terrible levels, don’t they?”

Omen was shocked by this. “Wait. If Demons come out of Gates, just as you have here, and infect the minds of Humans with their energy, how then can the overtaken Human be blamed?”

“The answer to that is simple young Omen. A Human mind is not simply overtaken, possession does not happen overnight. It is a slow process, by which the voices of the Demon become the thoughts inside the mind of the target. As this process continues, the target Human becomes unable to distinguish their own thoughts from the whispers of the Demon. Once this effect has completed itself, the Human is now easily capable of being overtaken at any time, simply by the will of the controlling Demon. They can be forced to do almost anything at this point, as long as it does not conflict with any core belief or value the individual has. Attempting to do this brings the Human mind into war against itself, causing a violent reaction inside the subject. This is usually the point at which the possession is realized by outsiders, as the Human mind and the Demonic will battle for control. Thus the Human shell that houses the Demon is not blameless for their actions, for it was by their own choice that the Demonically-influenced thoughts became realistic actions performed by them, as they believed this was their own inner desire.”

Omen thought about that for a second. Belial was totally right. For while the voice inside the mind may push hard, making the thoughts unavoidable, it was the final decision of the Human that allowed the action to be carried out. Thus the Humans that fall prey to the whispers of Demons, in their ignorance and weakness, are just as to blame as the Demons that use those Humans to ruin the lives of others. Without the Demon, the Human would not have considered such vile actions. But without the Human’s consent, the will of the Demon would remain only a whisper. While many people would try to argue this fact, claiming themselves and their loved ones as innocent, the facts stand as they exist. Some thought in the mind of the individual, something selfish and rotten, was fostered until it became all that was left. Yet another Human, turned into a puppet for the denizens of the Pit, to be used for whatever purpose their controller decided was necessary. This condition is easily seen to plague many across the globe, as they commit selfish and vile actions that reasonable people see are incorrect. But lost in what they have been told inside their own mind, they believe themselves to be doing appropriately.

Omen still could not understand. “So then, what is the point of all of it? Why make the Gates in the first place? Why bring such horror into the physical world?”

“Omen, do you still not fully understand the Gates you work with?”

“What do you mean? I know as much as you can feel inside my mind, I know you have accessed my recent thoughts. What is it you think I am missing? Please explain anything I have not understood, I need to know as much as possible.”

“Think about it Omen. Where do the Gates come from? Is a Gate a hole that is Created, or is it a hole ripped in something that already exists? Based on that answer, why are Gates allowed to exist, and what is their function?”

Omen thought back through the years of training and instruction. Omen knew the Gates and the Veil were pieces of the same thing, one had an effect on the other. With that being the case, both would have started at the same time. Omen tried to remember when it was that the Veil had been constructed. He remembered the stories that spoke of Higher Beings living on Earth, and even birthing children. These were the stories told of the Nephilim, which were Human, but of great size and strength. They were one of the major reasons for the flooding of the Earth, as their overpopulation threatened the planet’s natural resources. But after that, nothing was said about the physical presence of Nephilim or Watchers on the Earth.

If it had been necessary to destroy so much to correct this problem, it would be understood from an experimental standpoint that measures would be taken to prevent this from happening again. Removing so many Beings of such Power would be difficult, as both sides had the capability to migrate to the Earth. Stopping one effectively would mean stopping all, and would require a very strong barrier. This barrier would have to be erected by the Fathers from both sides, as no one energy alone would be strong enough to prevent all transference. This must have been what the Veil referred to, the thing that stopped all the Beings from the other Planes of Existence from coming here physically. But Beings with such Immortal Power would still be able to stretch their mind’s energies past the barrier, if they pushed hard enough.

Belial spoke again into Omen‘s mind. “As Humans developed magic, they learned to rip holes in this barrier, in order to bring a greater Power than their own into the world. They did not see their actions as harmful, for normally it was used in ritual magic, done in worship to the Gods of the individual societies of Man. Thus the Humans saw their magical workings as done in respect and worship, so it was never considered that these holes would be a problem. But Abbadon had been tasked with managing these issues, keeping the holes sealed up as he found them. Over time, the constant tearing caused the energy of the Veil itself to weaken and fluctuate, allowing more spirits to transfer over than ever. As well the magics of Mankind grew more and more vile, as Men demanded to be given rewards from their Creators. All this was expected, as a part of the Human design is the ability to tap into the energies of both sides. But none could have expected how easily Men would turn on their Creators, assuming they held the full Power of the Heavens in their hands. Thus Humans began to abandon the advisement of the emissaries of the Heavens, and followed their own selfish will instead.

With the Veil intact, few were capable of stopping the vileness from spreading. As Demons whispered in the ears of Humanity, only Abbadon was capable of sending them back to the Pit effectively. He sealed Gates day after day, protecting the minds of Humanity from invasion. But the number of holes opened became larger than the number closed, as Humans abused vile magic more and more. Abbadon’s hands were full, and he fought to maintain his sanity. All these things were brought to pass by Humanity’s refusal to accept their own lives, and their will to rip through anything to surpass their limits. Now that you know the Truth of what is you deal with, does that knowledge comfort you? To know that the weakening Veil, and the resulting influx of Demonic influence, is the direct result of the magic Men have abused since it was developed?”

Omen hung his head. “No, it does not. Especially now, knowing that I personally am responsible for so many of these tears, even though I did so unknowingly. Now I am proud to accept this part of my task, as I am simply cleaning up my own mess. By sealing these Gates, I help stop a flood I myself started, and I could ask for no more perfect a task to be given.”

“Good. That’s what I’ve always liked about you, the strength of will. You’d rather stand up and admit your own past failures than run from them, and you are even willing to put yourself at risk to do so. This is the reason you were pushed so hard, that you might be ready when this time came. For now you walk down the road of Knowledge, and the journey to your Fate is perilous. You will need every bit of your strength to stand the slightest chance, and I suggest you take all the help you can get that is trustworthy.”

Omen stood near the railing of the club, staring down on all the people enjoying their night. Each one seemed so small, as Omen saw them from an outside perspective. He saw the people exist as one thing, scattered in various pieces. It was the whole of them he had to be concerned with, not the will of one or two. This included Omen, for his will was also just a piece of this puzzle. Omen thought about whatever he might do to bring this shattered whole back together, to make people understand what they too were missing. Humans had misunderstood their Creators for too long, and it had destroyed their minds as a whole. Now, most of them seemed like walking husks, simply waiting for death to come. This was not the world as it was meant to be, and something had to be done about it.

“Belial, you know why I am here tonight, you know also what I am ordered to do. I ask respectfully that you allow such to happen without incident, and that you pass back through the Gate before it closes. Will you allow this to happen?”

Omen heard the familiar laugh again, but it was much louder this time. “Of course I intend to help you. Do you believe, after everything that we have discussed, that i was not aware this day would come? It has been my work as well that made you the person you are. I have watched you fight against all the things you put yourself into, all in the name of the Father. I have known of you since long before you did, as well I have been waiting for this Time to come. In success or in failure, things cannot continue as they are. If Final Judgment is the only thing left to end the cycle of misery, then I too am ready to play my part. We all are given taskings that we must carry out, even if at times we wish they were different. Now you too fall under this category Omen, as you take a task you will not wish for yourself.”

Omen gasped as Belial spoke in his mind. All that he had been through, all the various training and trial he had suffered through. The discrimination by the Army, to constant Hatred from those that claimed love, even the betrayal of Omen’s biological family. Had it all happened just to prepare him for this, had his whole life been one big test? Omen struggled with his own reality, unsure of exactly who he was anymore. But Omen realized that he would have to focus on that problem later, for now he had a job to do.

“So, by what method will this be easily accomplished? The club is packed, and I have already experienced difficulty getting to any of the runes. It’ll be even worse now, since the club has become so packed with people. Also, I’m still unsure as to exactly how this should be gone about, considering it is more than a single Gate I am dealing with.”

Belial gave Omen a list of steps, to follow in precise order. He refused to repeat himself, so even slightly intoxicated Omen had to remember every detail by heart. Once the instructions were given, Belial’s energy spread back out into the club. Omen walked back down to the smoking area, finding Elle still enjoying the hookah. He sat with her for a time, explaining that he had been given tasks to complete. Elle understood, but wanted to go with as Omen worked. He said he would allow it, as long as when he started each working she kept her distance. He did not want anything to interfere with what he had to do, as Belial had said each step was important. Omen started by ordering a fresh drink, and spinning the energy as he took a few sips. Just as instructed, once the liquid had entered his stomach, Omen saw the runes he had drawn shining brightly in their locations. Each one vibrated with its own energy, but a link could be seen between them. Aside from the lines in the star, waves of energy coursed between the runes. It was the spot where these energies converged that was the point Omen would have to locate as he worked with the individual runes.

Omen started in the rear of the club, moving past tables to a cage kept in the back. Shining across the metal of the cage, Omen saw the inverted pentagram he had drawn so long ago. Remembering the way in which Omen always drew his runic designs, Omen retraced it, but did so in the complete reverse of the way he had originally drawn it. As Omen ran his finger over each piece of the design, the glow seemed to vanish. Once he had drawn over the entire design, Omen placed his hand over the cage. Omen felt the Gate, but it ran from his grasp, spreading out towards the other runes. Omen turned back toward the mass of people, to watch the energy migrate. It swirled and twisted in various directions, finally settling inside the other four runes.

Omen continued to move around the club, towards each of the runes he had drawn. Each glowed slightly different when approached, and the energy of each was different as well. But as Omen drew over each rune, the energy of the associated Gate swirled away. But as Omen drew over the last rune, sitting at a table upstairs, the result was not as anticipated. For all the energy of the five Gates had absorbed into one rune, but upon completing it Omen felt nothing. The energy swirled around again, then vanished from Omen’s sight completely. He sat for a moment dumbfounded, questioning his workings from the beginning. Had he done something wrong, or in the wrong order? No, that wasn’t possible, Omen had retraced his every movement exactly. So then, why were the Gates not absorbed into him?

Omen felt Belial standing behind him before a word was spoken. He felt the presence enter his mind again. Apparently this task was not yet complete. Belial smiled at Omen, a thing he was not known to do regularly. Omen calmed his mind, listening to Belial’s voice in his mind.

“You are not done yet Omen. What you have just done is compressed the Gate energy from five separate runes into one energy form. Now the five Gates are one inside themselves, stronger than any of them were originally. It was through door that I came into this place, and it must be through this door that I return. There is a simple way to do this, all it requires is that you trust me.”

Omen chuckled a bit, as trust had always been a running joke between the two of them. For one of Belial’s first lessons had been, “Trust no one, for Demons have as many faces as they choose, and most of them speak falsely”. Ever since, whenever Belial had been ready to give Omen instruction that would be both complicated and potentially dangerous, he had always said, “Trust me”. So Omen had to share a laugh with Belial as the two remembered their mutual past, which seemed like so long ago in Omen’s memories.

“There are only two more things you must do in order to complete your task. Both will require proper focus and acceptance. The first is simple, you must allow me to combine with you purely, as you have done before with others. But this time, our bond must be total, you and I have to exist as one thing. Once that is complete, you will allow me to enjoy the last of this party. Just before closing time, you will take the dance floor. Somewhere there is the space where the energies of the Gates centered after you compressed them. Find it, and take your place there. Once you have done so, use the Gate inside to turn yourself into a massive vortex. Draw the energy of the combined Gate into yourself, straight to the place where one already resides. As those energies combine, creating a new energy inside you, allow the doorway to open. As it does i will step back through it, and once the energy settles the Gates will close inside you. This is all you have left to do, can you handle this task Omen?”

Omen cracked a smile. “Of course. I’m not even close giving up yet. This is just another step. No step can be harder than the last, and this is not my last step. Thus there are greater challenges ahead than I have already seen, and I will face them all without hesitation.”

Omen told Elle to head towards the dance floor. Omen followed several steps behind, as he allowed Belial’s essence to mix into his own. He had never fully channeled Belial before, so the feeling was unusual at first. But soon Omen’s stress fell away, and he was filled with the joy of the party. Omen strolled out onto the dance floor, moving as he felt appropriate. He found himself keeping the beat of the songs with his right foot as he danced, rhythmically tapping it on the ground. Omen had not felt this free inside for some time, and was able to let himself go completely. Omen had not felt the full Power of Belial inside him before now, and was unadjusted to it. Time seemed to speed by as Omen danced, as if he had become unaware of it’s passage.

When the DJ announced that they would be closing soon, Omen knew it was time. As people continued to dance, Omen saw the disturbance on the floor. There was no visible hole, just a center where the swirling energies were the strongest. Omen went to this place, and fell into a deep meditation as he danced. He felt himself falling, as the energy tried to pull Omen inside. Omen saw through it to the other endpoint. All he could see was a room lavishly adorned in objects of bright metal and crystal. He recognized one of the symbols he saw in the room, and then understood where the Gates led. This was Belial’s Throne Room, for he managed many Legions of the Father’s troops as one of the Kings of Hell. Once Omen felt the endpoint, he spoke a silent goodbye to Belial, whose energy passed out from him into the Throne Room. As Omen sealed the holes inside him, the Throne Room’s image began to fade. As the Gates absorbed into Omen, and his energy began to twist and distort again, Belial’s voice could be heard from the other side.

“Steel yourself Omen, you will need every ounce of your strength to survive. For you still do not understand the depth of this trial, and what is coming requires much more than an iron will.”

Omen felt the massive energy vortex into him as he continued to dance. The center of Omen’s chest felt as if it might explode from sheer pain. Omen wondered if this was the kind of pain associated with a heart attack, as his left arm began to tingle and go slightly numb. But Omen would not allow himself to be harmed, he continued to pull the energy further inside. It twisted and contorted violently, and Omen could swear he heard the moaning of tormented souls from inside. But he shook off the sounds, trying to stay focused on what had to be done. Omen did as before, using the energy of the Gates to create a wall between himself and everything on the other side, using the same recycling principle as with the previous Gate.

Omen’s body finally relaxed, and his mind became calm and silent. He had been successful, one absorbed Gate had now become six. Omen was extremely relieved as he and Elle left the club. He walked Elle home as they chatted happily about his successful mission, stopping across the street. This was the furthest Omen would go since Elle’s mother had him banished by the police, for Omen refused to be arrested for stupid reasons. Many times over the past week, Omen had claimed to have vision of him being arrested and jailed. Everyone around him said he was “being silly”, for he had done nothing to deserve jail time. But Omen had responded to all of them the exact same way: “I do not know the reason why, nor will I until it happens. But I can feel it coming, soon I will be trapped inside Man’s jail.”

Omen kissed Elle good night, and watched as she went inside. He was glad to see Elle acting like herself again, no longer trapped inside her own mind. She had finally let go of the pain that had kept her from believing that happiness was possible in her life, and now Elle could finally move on. But Omen still was not sure if she was meant to move alongside him or not. Elle was much younger than Omen, and had little experience aside from the things he had taught her. With all that Omen was being shown that he should be doing, he worried that Elle was not prepared for what she would face. For it seemed that everyone around Omen soon became Hateful and vile towards him, even as he tried to be nice to them. Inside, Omen felt responsible for all Elle had been through. For it had been his failure to see and close the Gate in Elle’s home prior to the incident that had led to her being sent away. As he walked back to Kindra’s Omen tried to figure out is Elle’s safety should be put before her choice to stand beside him. But he realized it was still too soon to make that decision, for Elle still had much to learn.

The next day, Omen awoke to a request for breakfast. Half-awake, Omen trudged down the road to McDonald’s, and procured food. He met Elle at his truck, and they sat inside and ate together. They smoked as they discussed the plan for the day. Elle knew that this morning was important to her, for Omen was to be busy later that day. Even though he had just sealed the five Gates inside the club the night before, tonight Omen was prepared to seal the next one. It had been his plan for days now, so as to make his adjustment to the new energy quicker. So Elle had woken up much earlier than usual, so she could spend the morning with Omen. They talked about what had happened the night before, as well as Omen’s impending departure for Illinois. Elle said she was worried for him, because he would be so far away from anyone that truly understood what he was doing. But Omen reassured her that he would be fine on his own, especially in his own hometown. For at least inside familiar territory, Omen would never be short of places he knew to walk.

Samantha and Brian stopped by for awhile, and they all sat and conversed. Omen was trying to teach the two teenagers as much as he could, for he had seen and heard the potential for major difficulties in their futures. Samantha, even after her experience, still felt it necessary to spend her day associating with things that were not beneficial to her at all. Brian’s habits were even worse, as almost daily the boy skipped school. He would come to Omen’s truck to sit and talk with him, as he said he preferred the things Omen was talking about to the repetitive nonsense he learned in school. Omen was upset by this, but not at Brian. For ever since he was child, Omen had watched the degeneration of the school system, as children graduate with less and less intelligence each year, because the system continually lowers it’s own standards. They do this so those that do not have the learning capacity of others can “feel normal”, but in reality all it does is produce new crops of stupid people. As the schools teach less and less, and people are forced to immediately go to work, no time is left for expansive thought and growth of the mind. In Samantha and Brian Omen saw prime examples of this, as neither their parents nor the schools said anything that registered with them. But they would at least listen to Omen, so he took advantage of the chance to change their thought processes.

As the sun began to set in the sky, Omen asked everyone to go home. After saying goodbye, Omen went and readied himself again. But this outfit was much more casual, fitting the occasion for which it would be used. For Omen had to travel from Kindra’s to the bridge, which was quite a long walk. As he put on his coat, sliding his headphones up through his shirt and into his ears, Omen felt he was ready to close the last Gate in Texas. He proudly burst out the front door, singing as loud as he could down the roads leading to the highway. He saw people staring, and could see their mouths move in insult, even though his music prevented him from hearing their words. But Omen ignored everyone around him, for he was praying to the Father. He asked to be allowed to take his next step, to not be slowed by the energy he felt as he approached. For Omen’s spine shuddered as he walked up the last hill towards the bridge. His eyes grew wide, even though he stared at nothing. Omen marched ahead even faster now, as he had realized the depth of his own action.

Omen had not been back to this area of town recently, due to having no vehicle. But as he drew close, Omen knew he had made a terrible mistake. The energy of the Gate could be felt as far away as the street Omen turned on to walk towards it. As he approached the bridge, already covered in the Darkness of night, Omen saw the massive wavering energy. The rune he had created had opened a Gate, and it had sat for quite some time growing in strength. Now the hole was monstrous, and Omen could see it stealing energy from as far away as the military housing nearby. But inside the swirling mass, Omen felt the will of many Demons. It seemed they simply sat by the door, waiting for someone of the appropriate nature to pass by. Due to the size of the Gate’s energy, they were easily able to enter people driving by in their cars, and through this migrate all the way across the Killeen/ Fort Hood area. Omen could not imagine how many spirits had been allowed out of the Gate, as the size of it would allow many Beings the level of Belial to pass through. As Omen walked up the stone path leading to the bridge, he wondered how much more difficult this would be than last time.

Omen’s pace slowed as he came upon the bride. With the metal fencing wrapping around the entire bridge, there were only two ways to enter. As Omen stepped into the entrance to the bridge walkway itself, his entire body went cold. It felt as if every step led him further away from reality. Omen pressed on, as the lights of nearby businesses became fires that sprouted up from the ground. Omen searched amidst the mixture of two separate Realms for his connection point. Omen continued to walk down the bridge, singing out to the Father as he did so. For as long as he was singing to the Father, Omen knew he would fear no trial. He walked to the exact center of the bridge, where he had drawn the original rune. The circle he had made was large enough for him to sit in by design, and Omen prepared to do so. He sat his cigarettes and phone in the space between his crossed legs, after setting a playlist he used for magical workings.

Within seconds, Omen was lost inside the Power of the Gate. The energies inside him swirled in response, and it was if instantaneously he had become connected. But as Omen pushed further inward, he saw that the opposite end of the Gate was not localized like the others. When he was able to see through the other side of the hole, Omen was shocked. For the place he saw was not the Pit that he was used to. Having no idea where he was, Omen was forced to go further inside. For trying to seal a door is not possible if it is completely unknown what is on the other side of that door. Omen let himself drift further and further away from his body, and he could swear he saw the faces of other people inside. Omen moved ahead even further, hoping his actions hadn’t trapped some poor soul in this place.

As Omen reached the edge of the Gate, he tried to focus on the faces he had seen. But Omen was met with horror as his vision cleared, for what he saw was beyond belief. There were tens of thousands of people, spanning as far as Omen’s eyes could see. They stood around as if they were waiting for something. They migrated slowly towards another part of the area, and Omen tried to focus in on it. At the edge of the place the people were moving toward there stood a pair of men. But upon closer evaluation, these were akin to the Dra’Gaari Omen had encountered before, even though they attempted to keep their sharp teeth and narrow eyes hidden from the other people. The Dra’Gaari guided people through two openings in the far edge of the seemingly endless cavern. They were very strict as to which people went where, and any contestation was met with extreme force. Some people were thrown down the tunnels, as they cried and begged for another chance.

Omen knew where he was. This was Purgatory, the Space in Between Life and Death. This is the Doorway through which all souls pass as they leave their physical existence, on their way to either Paradise or the Pit. The amount of souls which remained standing around was a direct reference to how overpopulated Humanity had become, as more children are born than elderly die each day. Even Purgatory was filling up with the decayed souls of those long since dead, as they simply stood awaiting their Judgment. There was no conversation amongst those standing around, no signs that they even realized they could speak. It was as if each soul had been forced into a sort of “walking stasis” until after they passed through Purgatory. Omen felt terribly for those trapped in this place, for he was aware of how miserable it was there. For while Hell may have places designed for torture and pain, Purgatory exists in a place designed to be nothing more than a Doorway. Thus nothing but the Doorway exists, and those whose job it is to guard the proper passage of souls through that Doorway. The souls trapped in between exist there only as they await passage to the next world.

Omen turned his focus away from the torment of Purgatory, binding himself to the Gate as before. But he couldn’t help but stare at the multitude of tormented faces as the energy sealed itself shut inside him. And Omen’s spirit returned to the bridge, and the Gate was sealed on the other side as well, he was glad to be away from that place. Omen swore his service would be proper, and he would fight to his end for the Father. Omen did not want his spirit to be unknown by the Gods, kept sitting like a sheep awaiting slaughter. Omen would much rather his soul face the strongest tortures Hell has to offer than to rot away slowly like a zombie in Purgatory. As he felt the massive Gate swirl into him, it was almost as if he could feel the remnant misery of those tortured souls. Their voices wailed painfully inside Omen’s mind as the energy twisted inside his chest. He fell forward, clutching his chest. Omen could feel the energy twisting around inside him. His heartbeat was loud inside his mind, and seemed to be slowing down. As the sound began to fade, so too did Omen’s vision. The energy of Purgatory had been too strong for Omen’s body, it was stealing the life from him. Omen fought to stabilize himself, but still the energy overpowered him. It was almost as if the hands of those trapped inside Purgatory were reaching for Omen, pulling him in to join them. Omen was not ready to accept Death, but the pull seemed stronger than he could handle.

Suddenly, Omen felt a hand on his shoulder. The touch was ice cold, and Omen’s right shoulder was almost instantly paralyzed. It pulled him backwards, away from the tortured moans of Purgatory. Omen tried to look upon the face of the one who had stopped him from falling into Eternal misery. But the stiffness caused by the icy touch would not allow Omen’s neck to move either, so he could not even turn his head. Wherever it was he was being taken, Omen would not be able to prevent it. Omen closed his eyes and prayed to the Father, “Father, if these be my last moments, may the ones that follow exist where You are waiting for me. Open your arms Father, please welcome your son home”.

“Dry your tears Omen, it is not your time just yet.”

The voice was familiar, though Omen had not heard it in some time. “A…Azrael?”

23

Omen snapped awake, and his head smacked off the stone wall of the bridge. Omen recoiled, clutching his skull in pain. Had Azrael just saved his life? He felt the new Gate had combined with the others, and the energy inside had grown once again. But that voice, it had to have been the same one from years ago. He would never forget that voice, or the icy stare of the one whose mouth it came from. It was the same one who he had fought so long ago in Iraq. But why then would Azrael save him? It obviously wouldn’t be out of gratitude, as Azrael considered allowing Omen to win the first time thanks enough for his fall. But why then had he come to Omen’s rescue?

The Father’s Presence came over Omen, and the boy cried as he thanked his Father for his life being spared. Now he was still capable of doing what he must, the Gate of Purgatory had not managed to destroy him. Thanks to the hand of Death Himself Omen had been spared, the only spirit that would have been capable of dragging Omen’s soul back from that far inside Purgatory. The Father spoke very clearly into Omen’s mind, answering Omen’s questions as He felt was necessary. Omen listened intently, as every detail had a bearing on his future.

“Azrael has been working by My side since the day after you defeated him. This was My Plan from the beginning, that was why you were compelled to do so. But think about it Omen, I am aware of all things that are, and the nature of things that will be. I had seen you fall into Purgatory, I was well aware the grip it held on you. For Purgatory is not a place to be sought after, it houses the hollow and tortured souls of those that still await their Final Judgment. Without passing completely to the other side, these souls have no hope of being reborn. This is a Fate much worse than the Human death, as the soul energy slowly fades away into Nothingness. I could not allow this to happen to you, for you still have tasks to complete. As such, I required the specialized skills of the only Watcher that can still traverse the spaces between Life and Death, as his task moves him between all Realms. So, in order for you to be saved, Azrael’s assistance was required. But if you had not defeated him when you did, he would not be in my service, and there would have been no one to save you from falling away forever. So, by defeating Azrael then, you actually secured your own salvation from Purgatory in the future, without even realizing it. But this assistance comes with a cost.”

Omen saluted the Father, keeping his head bowed out of respect. “What is the cost Father? What thing might I provide to Azrael in repayment for his assistance?”

“Azrael wants only one thing from you Omen. He tires of listening to others around him talk about his loss to you. He demands repayment in the form of another challenge, that the stories might be put to rest once and for all. Azrael stated that he would not allow Purgatory to claim your soul, he would tear it out himself and send it to the Pit.”

Omen was shocked. “ Fight Azrael again Father? But you said I had tasks to complete, things that were very important in Your Plan. How does dying at Azrael’s plans fall into that category Father? I will be of little use once buried in the ground, for that is the Fate of those who contest Azrael.”

“Child, have you lost your nerve already? All that I have given you, and you still run in fear from one Watcher?”

Omen’s spirits dropped low. He felt miserable for losing faith in the Father, the same thing that had helped him through so much in the past. He had to find a way, he could not let his fear of Death slow him down. For if Azrael saw that hesitation born in fear, it would be the disadvantage that would cost Omen his life. In order to be ready to face Azrael, Omen would have to revert his mind back to the place he was when they fought before. He would have to toss aside any thoughts of weakness or failure, and become wholly what the Father wanted him to be. A warrior of faith, whose weapons cannot be broken by any force. It would take every ounce of training, and every bit of his will, to stand even the slightest chance against Azrael, Omen was certain of it. But as Omen rose to his feet, he felt empowered by the words of the Father. He would not give up, he was too close to achieving the goals set before him. One more Gate was all that stood between Omen and completion, and that had to remain his primary focus.

Omen’s spirits were lifted as he walked away from the bridge. The Gate was gone, and now people could drive underneath of it again safely. He heard the voices of angry spirits, criticizing Omen for closing their doorways. As they complained, Omen stepped into a mysterious hole in the ground, a hole which had not been there earlier. The hole was almost as deep as Omen’s right leg, so he shifted his body weight onto the other side. As his foot connected with the ground, Omen’s ankle exploded in pain. Naturally, it had been the same leg which had a notoriously weak ankle that had fallen into the hole. But based on the size of the hole, as well as Omen’;s body weight, his quick thinking was all that had saved him from a broken leg. For his over 200-pound frame would have caused enough force on his leg to cause a major break. But Omen had been spared yet again from serious injury, though he limped over to a wall in obvious pain. After a few minutes, Omen gritted his teeth and continued walking. It was more than a mile back to Kindra’s, but Omen walked the entirety of it alone. He was not angry about what had happened to him, Omen simply used the pain as energy to continue on.

Omen finally reached his truck, and sent a message to Elle that he was okay. She walked over to the truck, and they sat and talked for some time. Knowing Omen was leaving soon, Elle did not want to leave his side. Especially now that she would have to return to her bed alone, and have no one to sleep next to at night for comfort. Omen wished he could invite Elle in to sleep in his bed, but was well aware of Kindra’s rules. Finally, Omen came up with an arrangement that kept Elle happy, and violated no rules. Even though it was slightly uncomfortable, Omen and Elle climbed into the back seat. They brought blankets with them, and cuddled together in the back seat as they slept. Omen awoke with stiffness and pain shooting through his body, but seeing the smile on Elle’s sleeping face was worth it. For while he may be in slight pain temporarily, the joy Elle had felt over Omen staying with her was obviously great. Thus happiness had overbalanced misery, and the equation was positive overall.

After Elle finally awoke, the two smoked happily with the Mud Frog. Mud Frog belonged to Samantha, even though Omen had purchased it. It had been a gift, to replace something she had broken. But her mother madre constant efforts to take Mud Frog away from Samantha, so Omen had taken it back for safekeeping. Inside his truck it would not be bothered, save for when it was used. Omen had several pieces of varying natures hidden inside his truck. Most weren’t even used anymore, but Omen kept them for their sentimental value. He tried very hard to keep his items out of Kindra’s house, since she was military and not a smoker. The truck was the perfect hiding place, because no one held control over it but Omen. It also allowed Omen a place to sit and smoke in peace, without being harassed by neighbors or police.

This became the norm each night prior to Omen’s departure. Elle wanted to be by Omen’s side moreso than to sleep in a bed, and each night she was found to bring blankets with her to the truck. It was early December, and quite chilly outside. But even with the truck not running at all, they managed to stay warm huddled up under the blankets together. During the days Omen continued to ready himself for the trip, packing up any necessities he could find. Omen was not completely sure how difficult the last Gate would be. He assumed it would be quite hard, considering the last one had nearly killed him. Omen did his best to organize the things he was leaving, so that his room would not be a horrible mess. Omen informed Kindra of the extent of his trip, and that he would be back afterwards. Kindra told him to have a good time, and that she’d see him when he got back.

The night before leaving, Omen asked Elle to stay home. He had to wake up extremely early, and Elle was not a morning person. He promised to talk with her later, and that he would be able to make the journey himself. Omen had money for a cab, but refused to take one. He intended to walk, with all of his bags, to the other end of Killeen. There he had to get on a bus, which would take him to the train station. Everyone told Omen he was crazy for trying to walk so far with such a heavy load, for his bags weighed at least 80 pounds combined. Omen had his laptop, his PS3 and games, and plenty of clothes and supplies for the trip. Even though the Gate was meant to be shut within days, the trip would last several weeks. Omen intended to stay through the New Year, for he did not want to be in transit over the holidays. Having experienced the trains before, Omen knew that going while it was full would be terrible.

Omen awoke when his alarm went off, and quickly showered and organized himself. He was prepared to face the long walk head-on, ensuring that all his things were easily accessible. He was prepared for anything, save for the fact that he needed to stop along the way and purchase some drinks, because the prices on the meal cart are outrageous. Omen made sure to pack the hygiene items he had used that morning, so that he could shower when he arrived. The trip would take more than a day, so Omen had to be sure to have everything he needed. He did a last double-check, making sure all his chargers and electronic items were properly acquired. He would not have the same problem that he had with Sara, his current mission was too important. Omen swore that nothing would distract him from his mission, that he would focus on his task before enjoying the trip. He picked up his bags, groaning at first as he adjusted to the weight of them. This trip would be hard, and might push Omen close to breaking physically.

As Omen stepped outside, turning back to lock the front door, he was greeted happily by Brian. Having already said goodbye to Omen the day before, Brian was well aware of his plans for the next morning. Brian had decided that Omen was not to undertake the long journey alone, and had decided to skip school in order to walk with him. At first Omen told Brian to go to school, as he needed to study and learn. But Brian refused to do so, saying that what he had learned recently from Omen was worth more than months of his schooling. Brian felt he owed Omen a debt, and was ready to pay back what he could through his effort. Understanding his position, Omen decided to allow Brian to do as he chose. Brian took one of Omen’s bags, the one that had wheels on it, and began to walk alongside him.

As they walked down the road, with the cars flying by on their left side, Omen and Brian talked about many things. Brian had made a point to stay very close to Omen recently, and had even introduced him to some of his friends. He said that he saw something in Omen that was not common in most people, and felt a need to have Omen speak with others. At first Omen was hesitant, for he was not fond of the agitation caused by most people’s actions. But Brian had reminded him that, “In order to be heard by people, first you must speak to them”. Seeing the wisdom in these words, Omen had agreed to meet with more people.

One of his friends was also a Satanist, and considered insane by those around him. But when Omen came to his door to meet him, it was quickly shut in his face. For the boy who had answered the door in his sleeping pants and ragged shirt returned shortly thereafter wearing Gothic jeans, a dark t-shirt, and a jacket. He said that, as soon as he saw Omen, he felt that his attire was inappropriate. He felt an immediate need to be dressed correctly in order to speak with Omen, based solely on the energy he felt when he opened the door. They sat and conversed for some time, and Omen discovered his individual gift. For in mistakenly opening a Gate of his in the past, the boy had been taught the language of Demons. He could easily rattle of sentences in this language, as if he had spoken them from birth. Omen applauded the boy’s ability to learn, and answered several of his questions about Hell and the Father. Even with all this Knowledge, the boy was still lacking the Understanding of its use. Omen told him to have faith, and to try and focus his gifts towards the right causes.

Day after day recently, Brian had stayed right at Omen’s side. The physical aspect of this was easy to understand. Omen smoked, he wanted to as well. But even in times when Omen was without, Brian still was found sitting with him. He wanted to learn as much as he could from Omen about things that existed outside of the Earth. He had been raised a Christian, the son of a preacher. As such his viewpoint was extremely limited, because he had only been told so much information. Each time Omen explained a story of the past to him, and the ways in which the actual story has been distorted over time, Brian only wanted to hear more. Omen was pleased by Brian’s want for Knowledge, as that should be a goal for every person. Thus he took no offense to Brian’s constant presence, and simply taught the boy what he could.

Surprisingly, Brian had shown a sort of personality change once he had begun standing with Omen. He was found in school more often, he treated Samantha with more respect in their relationship, and he seemed to be a happier person overall. Every day he returned, Brian seemed to be growing closer to maturity within himself. Both Elle and Samantha has commented on how much more they enjoyed this Brian, who was concerned for more than himself. Through Elle, Omen found out that even her mother had started allowing Brian to spend time at their house without argument. it seemed that the stubborn teenager was being taught how to properly deal with people, as everyone around him praised who he was becoming. This had been Brian’s primary reason for escorting Omen across town, as he felt Omen was the reason for his drastic change.

After a grueling walk, in which Omen twisted his ankle again, finally they arrived at the bus station. Omen waited there for about an hour before he finally said goodbye to Brian, and boarded the bus for Temple. Once at the train station, Omen was able to get directions to a nearby Dairy Queen. He picked up some food, then headed straight back to the train. It arrived no more than fifteen minutes after Omen had returned to the train station. Omen smoked a final cigarette as fast as he was capable, then hurried on to the train. Omen packed his bags into the compartment for them, and headed upstairs. He found a pair of unoccupied seats, and stretched out across them. The trip was going to be long, and Omen wanted to relax as much as possible. He plugged in his phone, and put his headphones in his ears. For as much of it as was possible, Omen wanted to sleep through the train ride.

But sleep wasn’t always possible, especially as Omen went through his cravings for cigarettes. For like most industries, the train company had decided that non-smokers are deserving of more rights than smokers. Not only was there no car and no place on the train that allowed smoking, but the attendants only let smokers off the train once every so many hours, when they decided to stop for fuel. This brought up questions about societal standards that Omen had been pondering for some time. These weren’t just questions about the realities of freedom in America, but evaluations of American rights as based off the paying of taxes. After all, like all things that are done legally, cigarettes are taxed. Not just a little, cigarettes are one of the most heavily taxed things in America, and the prices for the same pack of cigarettes go up significantly each year. This is not price increases on the cigarette itself, but constant additions to the taxes paid to be allowed to smoke at all. But if all these extensive taxes have already been paid out to both State and Federal government, then smokers have already paid alot extra to be allowed their rights. So then why are they discriminated against for the sake of people that have not paid those extra taxes? If the extra taxes paid by the rich, as well as corporations, entitles them to more rights than the average person, then those who pay extra to their governments to smoke should not be stopped by those that have not paid those same taxes.

But as usual, America doesn’t run off common sense, it runs off the words of the whiny and weak-minded. As politically-correct standards fill our everyday lives, people are punished for not conforming to their design for what individuality should be. This was yet another lying double-standard from the country that seemed known for it, as this selfish Greed was the reason that people from other countries see us as worldwide terrorists, demanding that the rest of the planet follow our methods of Democracy and Capitalism with force. Omen had once been a tool of this worldwide oppression when he served in the Army. Now, as the freedoms of citizens shrink more and more each day, Omen wondered if a cure might be found. A way to make America what it was designed to be, a haven of freedom and tolerance for all. For having been discriminated against multiple times based on his claim to Satanism, Omen knew that America held no real freedom anymore, just the aged opinions of a bunch of crusty old Senators, each working for the interests of the people who paid for them to be elected. Democracy is a joke now, and every time it is told we spit on our ancestors’ dreams of true freedom.

This was the nation Omen lived in, and the first he would have to stand up to help. He sighed at this knowledge, for the rotten thing America has become is barely deserving of help. Omen sat on the train, wishing he could start in another country, that wasn’t as arrogant and closed-minded. But he realized that, in order to change a broken system, you have to start at the heart of it’s corruption. This is what America is to the world, and why Omen’s task had to start there. For while America had existed much less time that Britain, France, Russia, or China, it is their war capability and willingness to use it that has made them a world power. For in their vile will to always be victorious at any cost, Americans have already destroyed millions of lives in nuclear war. Even as the ground and air were knowingly poisoned for 100 years, even as generations of families were made sick with no cure. America was willing to destroy as much as was necessary to be victorious, proven in every war throughout history. But unlike the beginning, where Americans fought to be free, now the soldiers of the country move as pawns, helping to functionalize the slow grip of control that those who stand behind the governments of the world have placed on all of Humanity. America is now the primary tool of oppression, where once it was the last bastion of hope against such atrocities. Omen sighed as he hoped that someday America might be free again, the way it was meant to be when people gave their lives to protect that freedom.

The route of the train passed through several areas where Omen’s cell phone did not work. He found this strange, as with the current phone and satellite technology, there should be few places in the world where contact through the phone is not possible. But in the times when his signal would return, his phone would blow up with unread messages and texts. Many were from people with whom Omen was simply discussing matters of the spirit. Some were from Elle, who was still worried about Omen’s safety on the train. Some were from Omen’s mother, constantly rechecking the scheduled time of arrival for the train in Bloomington. But the messages about which Omen was the most concerned were the ones which came from Jamie. It seemed Omen had been right all along, and now Jamie was in serious trouble.

Tim’s vileness had not stop with his necessity to tear down Omen. it seemed that Jamie’s independent thoughts were the next thing on Tim’s hit list. He began to demand more of her, becoming adamant about wanting her body to be his. Jamie said she was revolted by the simple thought of having sex with him, as his aged body was too decayed for her tastes. Also, the constant “spiritual guidance”, which Tim had used to distract Jamie while Omen was staying there, had almost completely died away. Tim’s strategy with women of Satanist nature became obvious. He used all that he had read and studied about the Father over the years to make himself seem completely enlightened, so as to draw in those that wish this for themselves. Tim uses their respect for his assumed position to draw them in close, and fill their mind with lies based around him. In this way, he controls their spiritual growth, and they cannot seem to progress without him. This is a horrible method of teaching, but one employed by many who use magic. For if those you teach are always lower in Power, they will never rise up to take your position. This was Tim’s method of religious control, and Jamie had finally become wise to it.

She wanted to get away from Tim, but she was terribly afraid. For he was known to throw his magic around at anyone that he knew disagreed with his methods. This had been done to Omen more than once, as some of his magic was aimed at ending Omen’s life. Jamie did not wish herself or her family to become a target, but it seemed Tim held nothing back. He claimed his magic was more than Jamie could stop, and that he would continue to do as he pleased with her. He claimed that she would understand soon, that she would see the Truth in his words. But the longer their relationship was continued, the more vile and selfish he became. He tried to send Jamie gifts, but then put sexual stipulations on receiving them. Fed up with his games, Jamie had started pushing away from Tim entirely, trying to run away from the problem.

Tim responded as would be expected, using his magic to continue to oppress Jamie’s will. She begged Omen for help, as she had tried everything she knew to do with no success. Whatever Tim had done to her, it was not so easily removed. He claimed that he had used his magic to go back in time, and make a deal with the Father that no one could break. it was a deal that allowed for Tim and Jamie to be bound to one another forever, and for their separation to cause them both excruciating pain. Tim had become extremely desperate in his attempts to retain Jamie for himself, and Omen was tired of it. He had decided that, when the time came, he would battle Tim’s magic himself. For he had tried both to challenge Tim directly, and to offer peace between them. But Tim had rejected all these offers, for he could not be seen to associate with Omen after all the lies he had spread. Thus all Omen’s messages were ignored, and Tim refused to even speak to Omen himself. He was hiding, using his magic from afar like a sissy. This proved once again how dishonorable and disgraceful Tim was, and Omen swore he would find a way to rip the vile mage down off the throne Facebook had placed him on.

As Omen awoke on the train, seeing that it was about to stop for a time, he immediately grabbed his phone and cigarettes and headed for the door. As Omen finished one cigarette after another, attempting to quell his raging urges before he had to return to the train, he checked his recent messages. He was not very surprised to see a slew of texts and Facebook messages from Jamie, who was feeling sickly and panicking about it. For her sickness was unnatural, and no one else in the house seemed to catch it. She simply felt weak and sick, and sought a way to stop it. Tim had seemed quite confident that he could do so, and Jamie realized as she talked to him that he was the source of her issues. Having become tired of waiting for Jamie to come to him, Tim sought to force her into submission by becoming the only one she could seek help from to stay safe and healthy. Omen was disgusted and enraged by this, and he promised Jamie he would figure out what was going on. Omen snuck a quick few hits from his hidden metal pipe, then put out his cigarette and hopped back on the train. Now he was relaxed, and could focus on the problem at hand.

Omen sat back down in his seat, pushing away all other thoughts in his mind. He had spent much time living with Jamie, and knew her habits well. He knew she rarely rearranged her home, and thus all the major things remained as they had been when he was there. Knowing this allowed Omen to easily project himself inside Jamie’s trailer, arriving inside her kitchen. Once he had found his bearings traveling in spirit, Omen made his way into the through the kitchen. Something about the energy inside the home was different than before. It was much more malicious, as if the energy itself craved pain and suffering. Omen paid close attention to what he felt, as every detail would be important if he was to counteract the magic.

Omen walked into Jamie’s bedroom, and immediately became outraged. She was lying on the bed, attempting to watch TV. But standing over her was some rotten spirit, appearing as a mass of swirling shadows. Omen could see the spirit using vile magic on Jamie’s stomach, which Omen realized had to be the source of her recent sickness. Omen yelled out to the spirit to cease tormenting Jamie, and to leave her home immediately. When the energetic form turned to face Omen, he was instantly sick to his stomach. He knew right away that this energetic attacker was a piece of Tim’s energy, affecting her with his evil magic. Omen went on the attack, using all that he had learned about combat in spirit. He used every weapon in his arsenal, though he focused mostly on the pure white energy that did the most obvious damage. He beat Tim’s projection back and forth through the house, as he angrily yelled at the spirit for it’s ignorant abuses. He kicked it straight out the front door of the trailer, then sealed the area with his own energy. While it might not keep Tim’s energy out forever, this would at least slow whatever plans he was working on.

Omen texted Jamie, informing her that the truth had been uncovered, and dealt with for the time being. Jamie thanked Omen for his continued assistance, especially with all that he had suffered because of her. She said she wished to repay his kindness, for he had shown her a form of love that she had not known in years. Even when she was not promised to him, Omen continued to strive for Jamie’s safety. This she said was what separated Omen from all the other men she had dealt with, he did what was right regardless of his personal feelings. Jamie stated that it was this trait about Omen, combined with the Darkness she felt inside him, that had attracted her to him originally. In every day since, Omen had only reinforced her belief that his intentions were pure. She said she regretted terribly what she had done, allowing the vile lies of Tim to hold her mind. But Omen told her apologies were not necessary, for he had learned much because of their interaction. Omen told Jamie that she could thank him by living a happy life, and eliminating those people that sought to control her mind. As he sat back in his seat exhausted, Omen hoped that his efforts had not been in vain.

Later that morning, Omen received confirmation. Ever since his attack, Tim had been acting very nervous when he spoke with Jamie. His voice cracked and broke as he stuttered through his talk with her. Apparently, according to Tim, he felt as if he had been assaulted by a Demon. He questioned Jamie as to whether or not she had sent Baal after him, and she denied the accusations. omen was pleased to hear that his new Power was working effectively, and that Tim saw him as a Demon. For as long as Tim felt the energy was too strong to combat, Omen held the complete advantage. But Tim told Jamie he was going to do some ritual magic later, so he could, “try to help their budding relationship along”. Omen knew this meant Tim had some sort of rotten plan, but it would not surface until later. Omen would have to deal with this problem once it arose, but for now he would wait and see what happened. For only in knowing Tim’s basic habits and magical influences was Omen capable of breaking his spells, and he knew this to be the most effective way of doing so. Omen told Jamie to keep him informed, and that he would be ready for the next assault when it happened.

That afternoon, the train finally arrived in Bloomington. Omen found his bags, and disembarked the train. His mother was nowhere to be found, so Omen stood outside and smoked. As he did, he called his mother, who was only a few minutes away. Though she pulled up on the wrong side, where the train station used to be, Omen soon guided her to the main entrance. He loaded his bags in the car, and they left for his mother’s house. As usual, Omen’s mother was dying for someone to listen to her talk. She rattled on for almost the entire 45-minute drive, until Omen forced her to be silent. Omen told his mother that he was not the same person he used to be, and she could not speak to him like a child. For doing so brought about much outrage in him, as he knew more about the world than his mother. He had tried to explain things to her, but she had refused to listen. This had been the norm of their relationship for years now, and Omen was adjusted to his mother’s ignorance.

But as she continued to tell Omen the stories of her recent doings, it seemed she had been punished for her disrespect of the Father. After spending so much time cursing His Name every time she did wrong in her life and paid for it, He had grown tired of her mouth. She had been in an automobile accident, and afterward was forced to see the Spirit Realm. Ever since she had been tormented by many spirits, which she had no capability of forcing away. Omen had tried to teach her basic magic to combat this, as well as instructing his mother to sage and salt her home. But she seemed hesitant to follow his directions, as if she expected Omen to solve her problems for her. This was something he would not do, just as he would not do it for anyone else. Omen had learned a long time ago that those who beg for help each time they are in danger have no ability to defend themselves, and weak people like this deserve to be attacked. For any and all are easily capable of learning the methods by which they can be protected, but they have to want to do so. Even the Father had told Omen before, “Those who refuse to stand on their own must be allowed to fall on their own”. Following this standard, Omen would decide how his mother’s situation would be handled. As they arrived at the house, Omen wondered how this situation would turn out.

The first day was simple enough. Omen spent time with the dogs, went out for a walk to worship, and relaxed with his mother and step-father watching movies. They laughed together as Omen’s step-father Jimmy commented on how happy he was that Omen had come back for the holidays. He apologized for not being more trusting of Omen in the past, and said he would learn to accept who Omen was, even if he disagreed with it. Omen was happy to hear that the home had become less confrontational, as that was the last thing he wanted to do while on vacation. He already had one important task to complete, and it was to be done the next day. Omen went to sleep early, so he would be well-rested. Tomorrow Omen would confront the eighth Gate, and his task would end in either success or failure.

Omen awoke just before the afternoon. When he did, his mother attempted to come at him with a slew of tasks that she wanted him to complete. Omen laughed at her, then angrily reminded her that she had promised to leave him alone on this day. He had only one focus, and it was not her. This enraged his mother, and she yelled for several minutes about how he needed to respect his elders. Inside his mind, Omen had to start laughing. For his mother had never respected anyone, not even her own mother. She had referred to her own mother by her first name for years, even doing so in front of Omen as a child. This pattern of disrespect was something Omen did not like, as his grandmother was an amazing person. To counteract it, Omen spent some time calling his mother only by her first name. She was outraged by this, but after some time understood the lesson. After that, she was never heard to call her mother by her first name in Omen’s presence again, under threat that her son would never treat her with any respect. But she still was highly disrespectful of pretty much everyone, and had a habit of insulting people behind their backs. This was a thing that had cost her many friends over the years, and had given Omen fewer friends to play with as a child. He was upset that his own mother was still so rotten after fifty years of living, he assumed she would have learned better by now. But he pushed all of this out of his mind as he left the house that morning, for he had more important concerns.

Omen walked down the street, turning right at the corner by the church. He progressed on toward the school where he had once been a student. The school was for grades 4 through 6, and Omen had some interesting memories there. Memories of being picked on and mistreated, and being pushed past his limit. Omen remembered going home crying many days because of the treatment of the other children. Most of it was due to his perceived poorness, for Omen was always dressed in raggedy old clothes. Also he was a fat child, so this gave the other kids more ammunition. He thought back to all those years ago, and the time when he could remember making a choice, which he realized had remained until this day.

Due to the constant torment, as well as the sexual abuse from his step-brother, Omen was a terribly unhappy child. He cried more than he was happy, and his only solace was in his room alone playing video games. But this did not stop the feeling of being an outcast, and the internal pain that it caused. Omen felt as if he was worthless, for not even his parents seemed to have much time for him. His father was never around, and his mother spent more time drinking than parenting. Omen finally gave up on his parents, as well as the other children, accepting he would be forced to take care of himself. This was even more painful, as Omen realized even his closest family didn’t care. More tears were shed, and Omen became quieter and more reserved.

One night, as Omen lay clutching his favorite stuffed animal crying, he heard a voice in the dark. Omen had never been afraid of the dark, or of anything he had seen in the movies. Thus he was not scared to answer when his name was called, nor was he hesitant to strike up a conversation. The voice asked Omen why he continued to cry, why he could not let go of his pain. Omen responded that the entire world seemed to oppose his very existence, and he grew tired of the constant torment. The voice responded that it had a way to stop the pain, to make the tears that Omen constantly shed go away. This was seen as a dream to Omen, who had not been free from his pain in years. Hearing the offer, Omen was more than willing to accept whatever he had to. The voice told Omen it would handle the emotional problems, as long as Omen would trust it. Omen agreed, and for ten years thereafter he was devoid of tears. During that time he seemed to lose all happy emotions, falling into Hatred and Vengeance. But he had gotten his wish, and his pain was gone, replaced by a want to destroy those that had caused it. This was Omen’s norm for years, until after he joined the military.

As Omen stared at the school where he had spent a portion of his childhood, he took notice of the new addition. The new building was much nicer than the school Omen had gone to, which still stood as it once had. The old building was connected to the new one by a beautifully-built walkway. The new building had many windows, and the glass reflected the light of the sun brightly. Omen admired the work that had been put into the design of the new building, completely different than the one that already existed. It showed the progress in the building abilities of Men, as the new building rose several floors higher than the old one. Even though school was in, Omen still took a walk around the grounds. He felt the energy of the Gate nearby, though it was very different from the others. Omen closed his eyes, and began to feel his way towards the Gate. When he found the energetic center, and opened his eyes, he found himself standing on a small paved road that ran around the back of the school. This road was also newly built, as the old one had not extended in this direction before. Omen took a moment to ensure he was in the right place, then reached out to the Gate a bit. What he felt he could not define immediately. This Gate was very different, but Omen could not tell in what way. Then, as he saw the faces of teachers staring at him, Omen realized he would have to continue this later. He left the school, swearing he would return later that evening.

Omen spent some time walking through the main park in town. As he circled the lagoon, Omen pondered what he had to do. For the energy he had felt was something new to him, and even being close to it had almost stung a little. The energy had felt almost…holy. But why would holy energy have ripped a hole? Omen continued to ponder this question as he circled the park. As he had expected, Abbadon came to his side. Knowing that Abbadon was fully aware of his mission, Omen asked for more details on the last Gate. All he knew was that a young boy had been murdered in cold blood, and that was what ripped the hole. Abbadon told Omen to leave the park, and to walk into a place where he could be alone to talk. Once he had done so, and the only other voices that could be heard were those of the forest animals, Abbadon returned to provide an explanation.

“What you felt today, explain it to yourself. Add in who was killed, try to understand how the process works. Once you understand the Gate, try to understand why.”

“Well…The Gate was much different than any of the others that I have dealt with. The energy was…itchy, almost painful to be close to. The only thing I can akin it to is the feeling I have upon entering a church, when I am assaulted by the opposing energy. As far as who was killed, it was a young boy, still underneath the Age of Reason and Decision. At his age, his soul energy was still pure enough to be cleansable of almost anything using Liethe Water. So unless the child had been a truly murderous terror, this meant his soul would pass to the Heavens, for he had not lived long enough to commit any real sins.”

Omen hesitated in his explanation. He seemed to be thinking about something, but short a missing piece. He knelt down, picking up a nearby rock. Omen began to make little marks on the ground, using the rock like a piece of chalk. As he did so Omen conversed with himself about what he was marking on the ground. He would understand this completely, no matter what.

“THAT’S IT,” Omen screamed as he jumped up from his kneeling position. “The boy was an innocent, thus in his death he passed to the Heavens. His death ripped a hole, because of the nature of it. But because the soul passing on was pushed upward, that was where the hole ripped in the child’s death led to. The reason the Gate burns me is because it links to Heaven Itself, the place where the holiest of energy gathers. But why? Why would I want such a thing inside me?”

“Think about what is being placed inside you. Is it not meant to be a Gate that opens all doors? A way to pass through the Veil completely, regardless of where that might be from?”

“Yes, to my understanding that is the purpose of placing eight Gates inside me, so as to create one that can open them all.”

“Now, you already understand the nature of the Created Veil. It exists to protect the Earth from all Realms, not one. As such, if you needed to open a door to all those places, would they not all have to exist inside you first? Also, if the combined energies of Light and Darkness Created the Veil, would it not take a similar energy to destroy it?”

Omen realized the Truth in Abbadon’s words immediately. He bowed his head as he responded. “My apologies Abbadon, I should have seen this all sooner.”

“Relax Omen. You have learned much in a short period of time, as well much has been set for you to do quickly. It is understood that you cannot learn everything immediately, but give yourself some credit. You have managed to seal seven Gates inside yourself already. Gates to Hell and to Purgatory. All that remains is for you to seal the Heavens inside you as well, completing the mission you were given. But in order to do that, one challenge still remains.”

“You say that as if the rest has been easy by comparison. What thing lies inside this Gate that will contest my ability to close it? Will it be like sending Belial back was? Or is it more like the Power of Purgatory’s Gate, which almost drew me in completely?”

“What you will face this evening is a function of the Law. When the Veil was built, many ruthless Demons sought release from their prison. Through Humans, they tried many methods to destroy the wall early. They used the Human want for more power to convince them to build the Tower of Babel originally, telling the poor Human leaders that they would be able to acquire physical passage to the Heavens. While my job was to close these holes, I could not do both that and guard the Heavens from attackers. As such, another Watcher was mandated by Law to be the one who would combat any small opposing force that attempted entry.”

“One Watcher? You would think that they would be more protective of their City than to assign just one.”

“At the time it was mandated, no one assumed it would cause a problem. After all, who that resides in the Heavens or the Pit does not know of Death Himself? Who would be ignorant enough to challenge him face-to-face?”

“You mean? Azrael?”

“There is but one. It was the blades of Death that were assigned to guard the Heavens. Because none dared cross his blades, it was assumed that Azrael would make the perfect guard. Too bad they were wrong.”

“How so? Did he not perform his duties?”

“What? No! Azrael is extremely efficient at whatever he is tasked to do. But no one foresaw Azrael’s choice to fall from the Heavens. No one except the Dark Father, who was happy to bring Death to his side. But the Law stating Azrael was the guard was mandated in a time long before, and is quite difficult to change. As such, even as a servant of Hell, Azrael still fulfills his duties without question.”

“So then how were they wrong in selecting Azrael?”

“Because Azrael is the guard of the Heavens, and I was once the Master of the Gates. Between the two of us, we know everything that would be needed to assault the Heavens. Every weakness, every poorly trained soldier, all of it. But also, we held the Power to allow Gates to be open or closed. For just as I could leave a Gate to the Heavens open, Azrael could allow the one that opened it to pass. This is a serious flaw, building an entire system of defense around two instead of two hundred. Easier to manage, but weaker overall.”

“So, does that mean Azrael is going to let me just seal the Gate inside, since he’s on our team now?”

“Not a chance Omen. Guarding the Gate is Azrael’s duty, he would never abandon it willingly. Also, as you recall, Azrael is still quite upset about your last battle, and the level of aggression you forced on him. But the Father’s Will stands, and as such you will be at least afforded an opportunity to be successful. But your chances are not good, for the only way you will be able to seal the Gate is by forcing Azrael through it as you do so.”

“So you’re saying that, basically, my last Gate is only reachable if I can defeat Azrael, and manage to shove him inside it?”

“Yes. This is why Azrael pulled you back from Purgatory. He demands his rematch, and would not allow you to escape from it. You were brought back from Death simply to face it again head-on, to determine the true level of your worth.”

“And what is the outcome if Azrael is victorious during this battle? I assume he won’t be taking it easy on me like last time.”

“Outcome? The outcome will be the failure of your mission, and the disgrace you will feel in that failure. As well, the blades of Azrael may take the very life from you, and you may take an unplanned trip straight to Hell. You would be delivered to the Father in failure and dishonor, a victim of Azrael’s wrath.”

Omen closed his eyes and gritted his teeth. He remembered how strong Azrael had been, how much magic had been necessary to do any damage. And that had been as he barely fought back, whereas this time he intended to be a challenge. Azrael was known for being capable of killing anything with his beautifully-crafted dual-blade scythe, a weapon both revered and feared throughout Creation. And this time, he would not be limited to using only the Power of Light. Omen knew he would be one of the first to witness the Power of Death, reborn in the Darkness. The thought sent a shiver up Omen’s spine. But as he clenched his fist and stood up, a fire was seen to burn in his eyes.

“Fine. If Azrael wants Round 2, that’s what I’ll give him. If the Father believed I was incapable of this task, He would not have placed it upon my shoulders. Azrael is no fool, and no easy challenge. But if that is the only way to finish what I was told to do, then a way will be found. Even if I have to destroy everything around us, I will find a way to seal the eighth Gate on this night.”

“Then spend the rest of the day preparing yourself. No one will interfere in this battle, but many will be Watching.”

With that, Abbadon was gone. Omen sat in the forest for some time, focused only on the Father. For while he knew that he was just hours from the time which he would return to the school, Omen had one priority. He sent himself as close to the Father as he could get, just to send energy to Him. The Father demanded to know why Omen would give up energy he would so desperately need, and his response was simple. “My life is Yours Father. In the event of my failure, that life would end, and I would no longer be capable of giving my energy to You. If this be my last opportunity to commune with You in this way Father, I would never give up that chance.”

After about an hour, Omen left the forest. He walked back into town, grabbing some food to ease his grumbling stomach. As he did so, Omen made sure to charge his phone. He needed his music today, to keep his focus directed on the task at hand. As he chomped down his burger, Omen wondered if this might be his last meal, and if he should have chosen a more expensive place to eat. But he decided that he would eat somewhere nice the next day, after he had been victorious. There was no room for a projected failure, success was the only option. Once he was in the mindset of a winner, and his stomach was full, Omen knew it was time. The sun was dipping low in the sky, and would set soon. Omen could feel Azrael waiting for him at the school, even though it was about two miles away. He was preparing as well, though the majority of what Omen felt was anticipation. Azrael was ready for his rematch, something he had waited years for.

Omen headed out from the McDonald’s. As he walked, Omen fell completely into his energy. He purified himself, so that nothing would distract his mind. Then Omen began to focus on the Gates inside him, and tried to focus the chaotic energy. If he could get this under control, it would be quite the effective weapon. But for now, it was more important simply to keep the energy stabilized, so that no Demons would bother him during his battle. Omen wished he had more time before facing Azrael again. His constant movement from place to place, as well as the constant problems, had limited his ability to do weapons training. Omen was sure that he stood no chance with his weapon in it’s scythe form, Azrael would quickly annihilate him. This meant he would have to use the attached blades, and this would put him in very close combat. With a warrior like Azrael, this would be extremely dangerous.

This was especially because Omen had no idea what to expect from the weapon Azrael carried. Aside from seeing it, Omen had never heard even a rumor as to any enchantments it carried. This meant that those truly aware of it’s capabilities kept silent, either by choice or by force. This made sense, as most of those who had contested Azreal had not lived to explain his tactics. Omen realized, just as he had years before, that he faced his most challenging trial with the Gates. Azreal had already lost once, and would not allow himself to be beaten so easily again. Winning this battle would require more than strength with weapons or magic, but Omen had no idea what it would take. As he walked up to the school, Omen felt a chill of dread come over him. In that moment he wanted to flee from the battle, that he might spare his own life. But Omen pushed away the weakness inside himself, and strode proudly onto the school grounds.

The sun was low in the sky, covered by the thicket of trees in the fields behind the school. But as the light faded, Omen walked up to a single tree, which stood down the road from where the Gate had been found. Omen drew his weapon, and planted it firmly in the ground next to the tree. As he stared toward the Gate, Azreal stepped out from inside it. He looked as Omen remembered him, though it could be seen that his energy had been tarnished. He drew his scythe in his right hand, holding it out to his side. As Azrael opened his hand, the weapon remained floating in midair. The two warriors left their weapons in their respective places, and walked toward one another. Once they stood directly across from one another, Omen reached his hand out toward Azrael.

“Though we stand on opposite sides in this battle, we serve the same Father. May our blades ring out in honor to His Power on this night, once the sun has fallen out of the sky.”

Azrael accepted the handshake, though his gaze remained coldly fixed on Omen. “As you accepted the challenge, I will allow you to define the rules of combat. Choose wisely Human, for your life depends on this battle.”

Omen cracked a smile as he released the handshake. He looked around the area for a few moments, then looked back toward his opponent. “Fine. I do not wish to draw this battle out, or to cause any more damage than is necessary. As such, the combat will be restricted to the area where this road has been built. My place will begin where my weapon rests, and you shall do the same. Should I be pushed back to that tree, you will have won. I can only be victorious by forcing you into the Gate. As for the combat itself, it will remain as it is. No interference of any kind is permitted, and calling for aid is equivalent to admitting defeat. These are the terms of combat, do you accept them Azrael?”

“These terms are agreeable, I accept them without contestation. Go now and prepare yourself Omen. The next time you leave the circle of grass surrounding that tree, you will be engaging in combat with Death Itself. Ensure that your affairs are in order, you will not get a second chance to do so.”

Omen turned and walked back toward the tree. Azrael’s words hung heavy in Omen’s mind. He wondered if he should call Elle, or at least send her a text message. But before he could reach for his phone, Omen realized this would be admitting defeat in his mind. This was something Omen refused to do, so he simply went to the tree and lit a cigarette. He sat down cross-legged in the grass, facing Azrael. Omen focused himself, trying to make his thought and actions one. Any hesitation between the two would be a weakness that Azrael would exploit. As Omen’s mind became clear, he felt multiple presences around him. Abbadon had been right, it seemed that many Watchers surrounded the area, forming a sort of wall around the combatants. But each one had their eyes fixed on the battlefield, eagerly anticipating the outcome. They grumbled and groaned as many Demons entered the scene, also interested in the outcome. Belial was there as usual, taking bets on the battle. Azrael was seen as the definitive choice by those betting from both sides, with few bets being placed on Omen’s behalf. But he smiled as he saw both Belial and Abbadon place bets in his name. As before, if he won they would as well, a fact that made Omen chuckle a bit.

Once the sun had finally set, Omen stood up and began singing. In the Darkness, the Spirit of the Father came over the area. All were brought to a hush at his arrival, and all of His True Servants took a knee. This included Omen, who continued to sing as he closed his eyes and saluted. Everyone that had interest in this battle was assembled, now the time had finally come. Omen drew his weapon out of the ground, and began to transform himself using his energy. Once his black armor had covered his body, Omen disassembled his weapon. He attached the blades to his body, setting the staff next to the tree. Next to it he placed the chains that normally were attached to the blades. Neither of these would be useful against Azrael, and holding them would only be a hindrance. Once his weapons were attached, Omen moved for a few moments, practicing his movements with the weapons. They felt lighter than the last time he had fought with them, which would make Omen’s swings quicker.

Omen reached out his left hand to touch the solitary tree. He said a quick thank you to both the Father and the Earthmother, for blessing his life so far. He asked to be given the focus and clarity to see a weakness in his foe, and the strength to achieve victory. He felt the Earthmother’s spirit as he prayed. She had been hiding inside the tree the entire time, to have a closer view than anyone else. She placed a thought into Omen’s mind that gave him an even stronger resolve. “The Earth stands behind you in this fight. This tree represents what i wish to see for you. Be strong, be firm, and be moved by no one. Use all the strength you have been given to become who you were Chosen to be, and make those who Created you proud.”

Omen smiled. It was nice to know that both the Mother and Father that had Created him were present to see the effectiveness of their work. Both of them had claimed tho have faith in his abilities, and now both of them stood behind him on this day. Omen was honored to be viewed in such a way by the Gods that came before him, considering the multitude of Humans which have been Created through their Power. They could be at any place on Planet Earth in this moment, but they chose to stand behind Omen. This brought Omen a feeling of intense Pride in himself. As he turned back to face Azrael again, the look in Omen’s eyes had changed. No longer could fear, pensiveness, or even anger be seen, all that remained was the cold stare of one who has nothing but a mission. Omen took a knee and saluted the Father one more time, then stood upon the edge of the grass circle.

“In the Name of my Father, my Mother, and all the spirits who protect me, I shall cast you down Azrael. Even if it destroys my soul entirely, I WILL NOT FAIL!!!

Omen lunged out from the circle, charging straight at Azrael. Azrael quickly grabbed his floating weapon, moving to intercept. As they came within range of one another Azrael swung his massive scythe, bringing the huge blade at the top down to bear on Omen. Omen blocked with the large blade attached to his own right arm, and the blades rung out as they collided. Azrael reversed the momentum of his weapon, bringing the other blade to bear from the left. Omen swung out with his left arm, deflecting the strike with his claw blades. Azrael took a step backwards, spinning his blade quickly in circles. As it continued to spin, so fast that Omen could not keep track of the blades, Azrael swung it at Omen. He was barely able to get underneath the swing, which had been aimed for his throat. As the blade passed overhead, Omen lunged forward with his own blades, aimed straight at Azrael’s chest. But in one fluid motion, Azrael’s scythe swung in between them, deflecting Omen’s attacks with such force that it sent him flying backwards several feet.

Omen picked himself up off the ground. Azrael was there instantly, unwilling to relent in his assault. The strikes came in from every angle, and Omen seemed harder pressed to deflect each one. As the flurry continued, Omen was slowly being driven backwards. He found himself totally on the defensive, as the speed of Azrael’s strikes left no room for any sort of counter. Every time Omen meant to deflect a blade, and create some sort of opening, he was immediately met with the other blade. Omen now understood the symmetry of the weapon, so perfectly balanced that it seemed to float from one blow to the next. Azrael seemed to be using little effort battling Omen, and the intense stare on his face had not changed.

Omen was forced to defend with both blades. The shot sent him reeling, but Omen used the distance to start an attack of his own. Lightning flew from Omen’s outstretched fingertips, reaching for Azrael. But he simply held up his right hand, and the energy was absorbed. Omen watched with horror as his magic was drawn in, and Azrael began to glow brighter. The energy used had only strengthened Azrael, as Omen continued to grow weaker and tired. This was a terrible situation, Omen knew he had to think of something fast. If he didn’t, failure and Death were all he had to look forward to.

In desperation, Omen launched a ball of Balefire at Azrael. This was the same attack that had caused him such damage in their previous fight. But to Omen’s amazement, Azrael stood firm against the attack. He attempted to grab it, in the same way he had the lightning. But as he did so, the energy seemed to still have an effect on him, though it was severely reduced from the last time. Azrael was seen to strain against the ball of Balefire, but eventually he tossed it aside. He stood back to face Omen, with a smug look on his face. He let his weapon hang in the air again as he pointed a finger at Omen.

“Do you not see how futile your attacks are? Even the Baleflame, the only thing that saved you from Death before, has little effect on me now. Now that I have been remade in the Darkness, the Power of that Flame will not stop me. What will you do now Omen, now that your most powerful weapons cannot save you?”

Omen looked down at his hands. Could this be true? Could Azrael have made himself completely unstoppable by becoming one with the Darkness? If everything else could be absorbed, and the Baleflame could be deflected, what was left? Omen contemplated each element he had learned, but he knew that none would be effective. Azrael was the essence of Death, wrapped in the Power of Darkness. What chance could he possibly have against such strength?

Azrael grabbed his weapon, and moved in to strike again. Omen stayed on the defensive, searching his mind for some way that he might counter. But as he continued to be distracted by his thoughts, Omen’s defenses became predictable. Azrael came in from low, arcing his blade upward. Omen stepped back as he smacked the back of the blade, sending it upwards past him. But as Omen tried to counter, sweeping his blades in from both sides, he saw a smirk cross Azrael’s face. From the opposite end, Azrael’s other blade was headed straight for Omen. He jumped backwards, hoping to evade the strike.

Omen’s left arm screamed out in pain as the blade ripped through the skin. As Omen stumbled backward, he attempted to examine the damage. Luckily, he had evaded most of Azrael’s blow. But the outer edge of the blade had still connected, leaving a large gash across Omen’s arm. As Omen stared at the wound, he felt a strange energy growing inside it. it spread quickly, and must have been a form of poison attached to Azrael’s weapon. Omen felt it burning into his flesh, causing both excruciating pain and a sort of numbness. Omen realized as he went to move it again that he could barely hold his weapon up correctly, his entire left arm felt heavy and weak.

Azrael had moved several steps back from Omen, and no longer held his weapon. It seemed Azrael was already assured of his victory, after landing only a single strike. But as Omen lost the ability to hold his left arm up, and was forced to disconnect the blade on his left arm in order to stand straight, Omen now knew why he had been so confident. Death’s Scythe brings only death, that is the nature of the enchantment. It slowly weakens the enemy one piece at a time until they are defenseless, that Azrael might end their life slowly. For once completely paralyzed by this effect, Omen would be helpless against even the lightest of attacks. As Azrael faced those watching in anticipation, he seemed to be in complete control. He had saved Omen’s life only to end it days later, that he might do so by his own hand. As Omen fell to a knee, blood streaming out from his wound, Azrael turned back to face him with a smile.

“Now, take it in. Now that you no longer are useful to me, now that I am not simply allowing you to beat me. Take in the miserable truth, that you were never capable of defeating me, and accept your own Death. At least in doing so, you will pass on in peace, and I might just take you to see the Father. But in these last moments, enjoy the suffering in your mind and body. And remember, now and forever, that the Dark Power of Death was always stronger than you. Let the Darkness close in Omen, stop fighting this fruitless battle. Nothing you are capable of can contest me, now that I am no longer bound to the Light.”

Omen looked upon Azrael. He was right, Omen had not even begun to penetrate his defense, and he was already seconds from death. Nothing the Father had given him was going to work against another Dark Warrior, especially not one of this level. All of the training was for nothing, now that Azrael was tolerant to Hell’s mightiest weapon. But as Omen looked past Azrael, he saw the Gate swirling behind his opponent. The energy looked white and pure, the same as it had when Omen had been aggravated by it earlier. As he stared into the Gate, Omen felt the energy inside himself swirl as well. As it swirled and contorted, Omen felt the Gate inside his mind. Inside was a place filled with the brightest of pure energy, but even the sight of it made Omen turn away. He had never wanted anything to do with the Heavens, as the energy was harmful to him.

Suddenly, Omen had an idea. He threw the Balefire ball at Azrael again, but changed the energy somewhat inside it. As the second ball was caught like the first, Azrael seemed to struggle in controlling it. The ball began to damage him physically as he attempted to absorb or deflect it. Seeing this, Omen launched a second attack. Azrael was quick to leap out of the way as the two balls collided, making quite the light show as the energy exploded. Azrael was suspended in midair above Omen, staring down with discontent. His robes and the ends of his hands and face looked as if they had been burned somewhat, though they were still relatively intact.

“HOW DARE YOU!!!” Azrael was very upset that Omen had managed to do him any damage. He flew straight down at Omen, drawing his scythe back for a major strike. But chains projected out from the ground, catching the hilt of the scythe and dragging it to the ground. Azrael attempted to fight off the chains, but more simply came out from the ground to wrap around the weapon. Azrael took several steps backward, forced to leave his scythe chained to the ground. But Azrael had more work dodging the chains than anything else, as he repeatedly jumped back and forth to avoid them. Finally, Azrael entered the sky again, and Omen responded in the clouds. Lightning cracked from every direction in the air, more than Azrael could follow at once. He was struck by more than one bolt, and it was seen to singe his wings as it landed. Azrael roared in anger, finally landing on the ground several feet from the Gate. Omen still stood at the opposite end of their battlefield, his left arm hanging limp at his side. Azrael turned toward Omen again, and his face was filled with Hatred.

But as Azrael tried to move towards Omen, he seemed to be trying very hard to do so. Omen realized quickly what was going on, the Gate Itself was trying to pull Azrael in. It wanted to become one with the others, the Gate Itself was fighting. Azrael turned his head, and in his eyes could be seen hesitation. In a second, Azrael had realized what was happening, and also realized his mistake. He forced himself forward, and seemed to be breaking free of the pull. But he was met with a lightning bolt to the face, which stopped his momentum. Azrael crouched down, kneeling as if in prayer. Omen snapped his fingers, putting a quick speel into place. He knew Azrael was not finished, and Omen had an idea about what he was planning.

Azrael’s energy pushed downward hard, launching him into the air with great force. He was attempting to use the sky to free himself from the pull of the Gate, so he could retake his advantage. But as Azrael launched upward, he met an invisible wall of energy. As soon as he hit it, Azrael screamed out in pain, and was stuck there for a second screaming. As he fell backwards, Azrael was met with several small balls of fire. As the crowd began to stare at the energy Omen was using, all quickly realized that it was not Balefire. The outer flame glowed the same powerful green, but the center was not Darkness. The core of the flame glowed a brilliant white, though the core of each flame was very small. As they struck Azrael, he was seen to burn from it. Omen smiled as his fireballs slammed Azrael back down to the ground. Omen relented, allowing Azrael to pull himself back up off the ground. But as he did so, he realized he was stuck again in the pull of the Gate, and strained to remain still. Omen took a few steps toward Azrael, a wide smile on his face.

“So, Azrael, I’m sure you’re wondering how I was able to cause you such damage. You can thank the Earthmother, for it was Her Presence that reminded me of something. The true nature of Baleflame is the energy of most potent Darkness, an energy similar to Death. The only reason it caused you any real damage in the past was because you were connected to the Light. Once you fell, that connection was gone, and so too was your weakness. But you made a fatal mistake in assuming you were invincible, for everything has an opposite. The opposite of the Baleflame is an energy most potent in the Light, but surrounded by the fires of new growth. It is the same energy which was originally experimented with in Humanity’s Creation. The most potent weapons against Death….Are the Fires of Creation!!!”

A hush fell over all in attendance as Omen raised his right hand towards Azrael. In front of his palm, a light began to shine. The light was small, about the size of a golf ball. But as Omen began to focus harder, the light grew in size. As it grew, the light moved further from Omen, allowing it to expand without touching him. Azrael tried to move, but quickly realized his feet were chained. Azrael roared in pain as the chains seared his ankles, struggling to try and remove them. He turned to look again towards Omen, to find that the light had grown to about the size of a baseball. The light floated towards Omen’s outstretched right hand, and was absorbed into the blade attached to his arm. As the blade began to glow brightly, Omen walked towards Azrael.

“Now Azrael, take it in. Now that the Light has left you, see your true weakness. Now you too have an opposite, a thing you cannot be. Now Death has no place inside the Light, and even looking upon it is painful for you. You see what you have given up forever, what you can never have again. Now Azrael, go pay a visit to the Heavens you have left, and remember the Light you will never know again!!!”

Omen thrust his blade at Azrael’s chest. Azrael put his arms in front of him for defense, but the energized blade pierced straight through. Omen used the energy to force Azrael backward as the chains around his ankles released. Azrael screamed louder than he had during their first encounter as Omen forced him towards the Gate. As Azrael drew close, his form began to dematerialize slowly, as if pieces of him were being pushed through the Gate individually. Omen roared with joy as he shoved Azrael through the Gate. As he did, the energy connected to the other Gates. Omen began to see inside, and saw the beauty of the City of Light. Omen’s eyesight was ruined by the brightness of the City, and his head seemed to split in pain. But as he looked inside, searching for the edge where the barrier needed to be erected.

The hole where the Gate was did not exist inside the City Itself. Omen saw the Golden Gates of the City, and in front of them stood many guards. They knew Omen was close to their Home, and they would not let him enter. But near them, Omen saw where Azrael had been sent. He stood in front of the guards, attempting to speak to them. But they would hear nothing he had to say, for Azrael had chosen to abandon them. They threw balls of Holy Fire at him, driving Azrael back from the Gates. As Omen watched this happen, for the first time he could swear he saw pain in Death’s eyes. Azrael had been granted his wish, and had fallen from the Light that seemed to bother him so. But in doing this, he had chosen to never again step foot inside his Home, a thing Azrael must not have realized would be so painful. He slunk away from the Gates of the City, but seemed to be going nowhere. Omen realized this was because Azrael now had no connection to the Light, and could not travel through It’s Power. Thus he would be unable to move between the Heavens and Purgatory, he was trapped outside the City Gates.

Omen pushed himself to the walls of the Gate, calling out to Azrael. As he did so, Omen used the energy inside himself to open a Gate into Purgatory, and bade Azrael to enter. As he did so, Omen sealed the hole, which worked to calm the outrage of the Watchers. Omen had just tarnished the energy outside the Walls of their City, and they moved in defense. Omen saw Watchers appear on every part of the Wall, stretching as far as the eye could see. But Omen had no intention to harm them, he simply repaid the favor Azrael had once done him. Omen pulled back, sealing the energy of the Gate inside himself. He pushed further away from the Heavens, finally able to see clearly again. As Omen reached the edge of the Gate near to the Earth, he felt the Heavens rumble his name. A warning was issued, one that Omen could neither force out of his mind nor ignore. From the force of the voice, Omen knew that it must be Michael speaking, as no other Watcher spoke with such amazing Power.

“Do not set foot near the Holy City again. The next time you do so, it will be seen as an act of hostility toward the stability of the Light. Every Watcher in the Heavens will descend upon you, and I will personally sever the head from your shoulders.”

Omen was not happy to be spoken to in such a way, but understood the seriousness of Michael’s words. He was a warrior of the Darkness, with Gates to Hell inside him. He was seen as an enormous threat in the Heavens, regardless of the decision to allow him to live. Thus just because they could not kill him did not mean they would allow his feet to touch their City, as they knew it would corrupt the purity of the Light. Omen understood their position, and had no real issue with it. After all, he was bound for Hell upon his death anyway, Omen had no want to live in the Light. He knew his place was with his Father, a place that exists in eternal Darkness. Omen sent a response to Michael, one he was sure would not be taken lightly.

“I’ll stay out of your City, you stay out of my mission. You have already seen I will stand for the Father’s Will against anyone, even the mighty Michael. If you truly wish the fighting to cease, and for your City to remain a bastion of Light and peace, then maintain that peace by staying out of my business. Any actions from this point on by the Watchers will be seen as a violation of this agreement. If you violate the agreement, I guess I’ll just have to open a few more of those holes, and we’ll see how you like having Demons at your Gates.”

“HOW DARE YOU! Insolent Human!!!”

Omen felt the Heavens tremble, and saw Michael rise from a high tower. He flew straight at the Gate, throwing balls of Holy Fire. But upon touching the Gate’s edge, the balls dissipated into Nothingness, becoming lost inside the spaces between Realms. Omen found his body, still kneeling on the road behind the school. He also saw the arguments transpiring between Watchers and Demons over what was transpiring. All could feel and hear what had just happened in the Heavens, and the arguments rose towards explosion. All this Power being unleashed in one area would not be good for Omen’s hometown, or any of the people that lived nearby. But Omen had an idea, to solve all the problems at once. He reached out to the edge of the Gate, and commanded his physical body to do the same. As both versions of Omen touched the edges of the Gate, and their energies merged, a massive vortex was projected from out of both ends of the Gate.

Wings were spread wide, of both wing and leather, in attempts to run from this vortex. But the force was enough to grab ahold of all of those who had gathered for the battle, as well as the charging Michael on the other side. As the spirits begain to swirl inside the vortex, Omen absorbed the Gate to the Heavens completely. In it’s place he put the energies of the Gate to Purgatory, and pushed as hard as he could. Omen felt the Gate pull all those assembled down into Purgatory. Michael struggled as he was dragged near the Gate. The golden aura around Michael seemed to be fading, as if Purgatory was stealing the Light from him. But suddenly the vortex ceased, and Michael fell to the ground. Standing where the Gate had been was an image of Omen, that swirled in the energy of the Gates.

“Watch your tongue Michael, lest you never see your Home again either. I could have easily sent you away, and you would have been banished by the Laws you protect. But like you, I know that the Light serves a purpose. Perhaps someday you will understand how similar we are. You are a Servant, as am I. You love your Home, and wish to remain here. I feel the same way about my home, deep inside the Pit. Do not judge me Michael, I fight as hard as you do to be a proper servant to my Father. But for your arrogant words, a price had to be paid. That price was every one of your Watchers who was on the Earth for the battle. They have been pulled into Purgatory, and you will not get them back. Be more careful who you threaten Michael, even the tiniest insect can dig a path through a mountain with effort.”

Omen sealed everything inside, forcing shut the seals on every Gate. He tried to control the massive energy inside him, as the Light and Darkness fought with each other. Omen could see the road again, but his mind was lost in chaos. He felt everyone that had just been banished to Purgatory through his efforts fighting with one another, as each side blamed the other for their banishment. Their fighting tore through many wandering souls, but they seemed to pay it no mind. They were focused on their warring, attempting to prove who was more powerful. But soon, the power of the Watchers failed them, and the Demons in Purgatory overtook them completely. WIngs were shredded, torn off piece by piece. The Watchers screamed in agony as the Demons ripped them to pieces, enjoying the taste of their blood.

The chaos in Omen’s mind finally calmed, and he could focus again. Once all of the Watchers had been defeated, Omen opened a hole inside Purgatory, which led back to the Pit. Omen congratulated his Family as they walked back through the Gate, welcoming them Home. He asked for a piece of a Watcher, and was presented with a left wing. It had been severely burnt, but was still relatively intact. Omen ensured all the Demons had come back from Purgatory, then called to Abbadon. He handed the wing to Abbadon, asking that it be presented to the Father as a token of his victory. As the last Demon returned to Hell, Omen was happy to fall back inside himself.

24

Omen walked around the area behind the school, singing praises to the Father. It had been an amazing evening, and Omen was proud to have been a part of such a thing. But he felt strangely about the encounter, as at several points he had not been himself. The ways in which he spoke to both Azrael and Michael were far and beyond anything Omen had done before, and he had never considered being so forcefully disrespectful. It almost had felt as if Omen had changed during the fight, but changed into what? The presence had felt familiar, as if it had been there all along. But while he had been trained by many, they all had kept out of the fight. What was this mysterious presence that Omen had felt, and where did it come from? Omen pondered these questions as he continued to walk the streets of Pekin, allowing the energy inside him to settle.

Omen returned to his mother’s house, and laid down to sleep. When he awoke the next day, Omen knew he had plans that he was not looking forward to. His mother, in her constant attempts to feel close to her son, wanted Omen to join her and Jimmy at a bar. The bar was in Peoria Heights, more than a half-hour drive away. The reason was that there was a benefit being held for someone they knew, and they wanted Omen to go with them. But Omen was not fond of staying in crowds for long periods of time, and did not have a vehicle of his own. So Omen agreed to go, but only under the condition that he would be brought back when the evening came. His mother agreed, saying they would be happy to give “their soldier” his wish.

Omen wasn’t thrilled about the trip to begin with. The benefit started early, and Omen’s mother expected them to be there at the start. Several local bands were playing, and she didn’t want to miss any of them. As such, Omen woke up much earlier than usual, so that he could get ready. He slept in the car during the ride to the bar, as his mother ran her mouth as usual. They arrived at the bar at around two o’clock in the afternoon. There was food to be eaten, though the cost was a five-dollar donation. Omen paid for his own meal, even though his mother had offered to do it. He supported the man who the benefit was being held for, and was willing to give some of his own money. He sat and ate the homemade barbeque happily as he talked with random people.

Omen’s mother had terrible habits. One of the most prominent was her need to take over any conversation she entered. His mother always wanted to be the center of attention, even though people did not always want her around. One of the ways she accomplished this was by constantly “showing off” Omen, whose military service was seen as extremely honorable. This made other people constantly fawn over Omen, which afforded his mother the attention she sought. She even went so far as to demand that one of the bands allow Omen to come up and sing a song with them. But Omen did not want to sing, and they played none of the songs he sang regularly. But she forcecd it to happen, and Omen angrily forced his way through an Alice in Chains song. He missed notes, forgot words, and the song sounded horrible in the end. Omen stormed out into the smoking area afterward, fed up with his mother’s ignorance.

Omen demanded to be taken home. It was almost eight o’clock, and Omen felt six hours spent at the benefit was enough. But his mother refused, saying she was not ready to stop having fun. Omen told her she had given her word, and needed to keep it. But she continued to refuse, saying she would not leave the bar. This left Omen stranded, and his explosive rage at her showed his disgust. In the bar, Omen called her a liar, saying she had no dignity. He chastised her for her constant lies and selfishness, and for parading him around like some show animal. Everyone in the bar was privy to Omen’s outburst. He then took the car keys from Jimmy, and went out into the car to wait. He would not spend another second in the bar pretending that his mother’s selfish actions were acceptable.

After some time, Jimmy came out to the car. He was obviously drunk, and had probably left the bar to get away from his wife’s ranting. He came to Omen apologetically, claiming that he did not agree with what his wife was doing. He handed Omen twenty dollars, and told him to call a cab. Omen knew that the distance from where he was to Pekin would cost much more than this in cab fare, and he told Jimmy so. But he seemed to care little, joining in with the same ignorant suggest Omen’s mother had given. “Well, why don’t you just call one of your friends, and have them pick you up?” Omen responded as he had before, that he knew better than do ask his friends to drive miles out of their way simply to help him. It seemed that once he was drunk, Jimmy was no better than the woman he had married. This meant neither one was trustworthy, so Omen would not be able to rely on them.

Even though he had no other money, Omen called the cab anyway. It arrived about twenty minutes later, and Omen jumped inside. He gave his destination to the driver, and the meter was started. As they drove, Omen explained his situation to the driver. He did not want to go any further than twenty dollars would take him, as he had no other means to pay for the trip. He told the driver to go as far as twenty dollars was, then he would get out and walk. Even the driver admitted that twenty dollars would not get Omen anywhere near Pekin, and begged him to find some way to pay the excess. But Omen refused to even make a phone call, saying his dignity would see him through. If forced to walk twenty miles simply to go to bed, Omen would do so. This set of statements seemed to inspire the boss of the cab company, who had been listening over the radio. He decided to pay for the rest of Omen’s ride, so that he would not have to walk on the Highway.

The cab dropped Omen off at a bar in Pekin called Goodfellow’s, a place where Omen had been more than once. But he didn’t go to the bar because of the party, Omen had been specifically invited. His cousin Brandon was the door man for the bar, and had asked Omen to come visit. He paid the door charge, and gave Omen some money for drinks. Omen went and enjoyed the party, running into another of his cousins. He had not seen Lauren in quite some time, and it was nice to visit with her for a change. Omen forgot about the stress from earlier, deciding to use his energy in a better way. Omen danced and conversed with people, allowing his anger to flow out and away. His mother came to the bar with Jimmy, saing she wanted to party more. She acted as if nothing had happened earlier, and tried to be sociable with Omen. He laughed at her, saying she would not ruin the rest of his evening. Omen ignored his mother for the rest of the evening, leaving the bar around 1 A.M. Omen chose to walk back to the house, enjoying each song he sang along the way.

Omen returned to the house to find that no one was home yet. it was extremely late, and the winter air chilled Omen to the bone. All he wanted was to go inside and sleep. He had been given keys to the house, but not to every door. The front door key Omen had did little to help, considering the glass outer door was latched shut. And the key to the inside garage door was no good with the garage door and outer door all shut and locked as well. Due to it being winter, all the windows were shut tight. There was no easy way into the house, and Omen had no idea when his mother would return home. In desperation, Omen decided to pop the back garage door open. At least this way the house would still be secure, and any damage would not be seen by outsiders.

Omen tried to use a card to open the door. When that failed, he struck the door with the side of his hips, to attempt to pop the latch loose. He did so, but also heard the splintering of wood. The door opened, and Omen stepped inside the garage. He turned on the light, to inspect the damage done. The area where the latch sat had broken off somewhat, exactly as Omen had suspected. Omen tried to screw the latch plate back into the wood, and found the screw holes were stripped out. This meant it would require more work to fix the door properly, and tools that Omen could not find. He secured the door as best he could, then laid down to sleep. Omen would fix the door in the morning, once he could ask Jimmy where the right tools were. The effect of the alcohol had all but worn off, and Omen was exhausted as he laid down to sleep.

Omen blinked awake the next morning, still a bit groggy from the previous night’s drinking. Something felt strange, though he could not determine what. He got up and dressed himself, taking note that several things in the room had been moved. The way in which things were moved suggested that Omen’s things were not wanted in the room anymore, and this could lead to only one outcome. Omen headed out to the kitchen, waiting to see what would happen. He encountered his mother and Jimmy, who raged about what had happened to the door. Omen tried to explain to them that it was easily fixable, all he needed was the right tools. But his mother refused to listen. She spent more of her time throwing fits about how much Omen had disrespected her in the bar the night before, and how horribly he treated her. Jimmy jumped to her side, enforcing an opinion that Omen knew was not his own. But he seemed happy to tell Omen, “Pack your shit and get out”. Omen had been an invited guest, and had only been there for three days. But even though they had asked him to spend his own money for the trip, and Omen was now broke, they still felt it appropriate to cast him out into the street. Omen left the house without incident, mostly because his step-father was a prison guarde. He had many friends in the police departmwent, and this would not be the first time he called them to solve his problems. Omen grabbed what he could, filling his three bags again, and left his mother’s house.

Omen growled under his breath as he walked away from his mother’s house. He had experienced much vileness from her throughout the course of his life. He remembered how the woman had ignored him most of his childhood, forcing him to remain in his room playing video games. Omen remembered how most of his mother’s extra money went to her bar habits, and left Omen wearing raggedy sweats to school, which got him picked on and beat up repeatedly. He remembered how his mother had thrown him out at eighteen, only to take him back later. He remembered a year or so later, when he was trying to lose weight to join the Army. His mother had claimed he was a liar, and was not going into the military, simply using it as an excuse to stay in her home longer. Omen’s mother had been a problem for years, but it had gotten much worse since their last move.

After she got married to Jimmy, Omen’s mother claimed she had everything she wanted in life. But over time, she lost more than Omen ever thought she would. She and her husband gave in to a daily need to drink heavily. Jimmy’s habit was only slowed by his job, so he was only severely drunk on the weekends. The two constantly spent the last of their monies each paycheck to go purchase more alcohol, and would complain if Omen drank any without asking. They had become belligerent, arguing with one another constantly over meaningless nonsense. This trend had degenerated the personalities of both people, and who they were originally no longer remained. Omen’s mother stopped exercising, saying, “I’m married now. I don’t have to work to look good for anybody.”. She gained all the weight she had ever lost back and more, swelling to twice her normal size. In response, Jimmy gave up as well, allowing the muscles and slim form given to him by the Marines to fade away into gelatin. Both of them had pretty much given up on themselves, and Omen could not understand why.

Omen searched for a place to stay, at least for the night. As usual, his father cared little about the trials his only son faced, and was unwilling to provide any form of assistance. Omen had no real options, and was ready to face homelessness if it was necessary. But beforehand, he would have to find a place to drop off his bags. Omen sent a variety of messages to a few people he trusted, to try and find a place for his things. But the response Omen received demanded much more, and so Omen walked down towards the Downtown Pekin area. He arrived at an second-floor apartment, and knocked on the door. It was answered by Omen’s cousin Brandon, and Omen was welcomed inside.

Omen had quite the history with his cousin, who was only slightly older then Omen. As children, they had spent a large amount of time staying with their Grandparents. This led to them becoming close as friends, and playing together regularly. In Omen’s youth, Brandon had been his only real friend to play with. But as time went on, their individual lives took them in different directions. They reunited when Omen was thrown out of his house, when he stayed with Brandon before. that had been ruined by Brandon’s drug addiction, which was cocaine at the time. omen remembered the day he and Brandon had to sneak out of the apartment, and toss their valuables out the back window in a chain, simply to load them into the car without being seen. This had led to Omen’s first bout of Illinois winter homelessness, as he had spent a few months that year living in his car parked by a bridge.

Brandon’s condition degenerated when he discovered heroin. Brandon became an instant addict, and over time his habits made him betray his entire family. He stole from his parents, and even from his grandparents when he moved into their basement. He was found to be in constant need of his drug, even shooting up during Christmas parties when no one was looking. Omen saw most of these things happen, but refused to betray his cousin. He knew Brandon was lost inside his addiction, and needed help. Omen tried his best, but the strong pull of heroin drug Omen in as well. For about two weeks Omen experienced the joy of snorting heroin, until he realized he was becoming more and more like Brandon. Omen refused to become that kind of junkie, and start harming others to serve his own habit. So Omen quit having anything to do with heroin, and told his cousin to stop pestering him about a ride to his dealer.

In the end, Brandon’s habit had brought many people suffering. His father did not want him around anymore, he was not welcome in his home. The same held true for their grandparents, who had been robbed and hurt enough by Brandon’s selfishness. He lost all his friends that were not drug buddies, and became violent and aggressive. He had Omen cash several bad checks, which almost landed Omen in jail prior to joining the military. Had it not been for their grandfather paying off the debt owed by the bad checks being cashed, Omen would have lost his future. This pattern of behavior continued until his habit got so bad that Brandon began robbing people to support it. When he and his roommate robbed a golf course, they sealed their fates. Brandon was arrested, and sentenced to several years in prison. He had been to drug rehabilitation several times, and it had been unsuccessful. Perhaps a few years spent in a cell would be the reality check Brandon needed.

Omen had only spoken to his cousin a handful of times since his release from prison. Omen had been living his own life, and Brandon was recovering from his past. For the longest time, Omen wanted nothing to do with Brandon, because of what his selfish actions had almost cost Omen. But many people, even his mother, said Omen had held his grudge long enough. He needed to get over his past, and give his blood relative another chance. Omen had done, and had gone to hang out with Brandon more than once as he moved in between Pekin. Now, he sat on Brandon’s couch, explaining how his mother had invited him for Christmas just to throw him out three days after he arrived. Omen had no money, and nowhere to go. He knew he would be getting more money soon, but soon does not put a roof over one’s head. He had no real intention of asking anyone for help anymore. He was sick of the judgmental stares people gave him when they provided assistance. The arrogance of people, that act like they’ve never needed help before. This was the case with Omen’s father, who acted like helping his son was a chore.

Brandon invited Omen to stay with him for a while. Omen accepted, thanking his cousin for the generosity. He promised that he would not be in the way, and would make a point to mind his own business. They sat and chatted about their lives, and what had been going on. Brandon seemed to have finally changed. He worked two jobs, and made sure his son was taken care of. In his free time his son came to visit. Omen smiled at the amazing resemblance between Brandon and his son. Having no children of his own, and by the words of doctors being “almost incapable”, Omen wondered if a day would come where a child would share his face. He wondered if that child would feel blessed or cursed to have Omen as a father, based on the way his life was lived. But with no stability in his life, Omen knew a child was the last thing he needed. He wanted to be a good father, unlike his father had been. That would require having stability of his own beforehand, so the child could be taken care of. This seemed to be the path that Brandon was trying to follow, and Omen was happy for him.

Brandon was found to be quite generous. He allowed Omen to eat and drink whatever he had, save for the things reserved for his work lunches. He left the safety of the house in Omen’s hands, giving him the only key. Knowing how upset Omen was over his mother’s betrayal, Brandon had given Omen money specifically to go buy weed with. He said he could not smoke it, because of his probation, but he wanted to help his cousin relax. This was a whole different person from the one Omen had known years ago. The Brandon Omen remembered was extremely selfish, screwing over everyone around him. This had been going on long before the heroin use. It took Omen a couple days to even accept this new Brandon. Had his cousin changed this much?

After a few days, Omen was not so sure. While on the surface everything seemed perfect, inside things were not right. Omen didn’t pay any mind to Brandon’s actions at first, but eventually the sings of his continued corruption stacked up. He had a serious girlfriend, but she lived a few hours’ drive away. Due to her work, she was only able to visit on certain weekends, when she drove up. During the times between, the chatted on the phone as would be expected. But Omen soon realized that this was not the only girl Brandon was talking to, nor the only one he was seeing. He had a girl locally too, and neither of them knew about the other. He also talked to several other girls, with whom he seemed to be in the process of getting to know. It seemed that his cousin had taken on a new bad habit, treating women like pieces of meat. he cared nothing for their individual feelings for him, he simply used each one to attain a goal. Having fought hard to even have one girlfriend, Omen could not understand why Brandon would mistreat the beautiful women he spent time with. But Omen kept his word, and stayed out of his cousin’s business. It was not his place to reveal his cousin’s treachery to the women.

But this was not the only strange thing going on. After a couple days of being able to procure weed with the money Brandon had given him, Brandon had said he, “Knew someone he worked out with”. Brandon went to the gym every day after work, so the next day he returned with what had been promised. As Omen took the time to look at, smell, and test the weed, it was found to be extremely high quality for the area. This led Omen to examine other aspects of Brandon’s recent activity. He went to the gym, but seemed to be easily connected to people that deal in illegal sales. Omen had also noticed some strange behavior in Brandon. Omen knew his cousin was on probation, and being tested for drugs randomly. But based on his behavior, it seemed Brandon had found something that they couldn’t test for. But he did the same as he had done many years ago, when Omen first lived with him. He pretended that everything was normal, and managed to slide his use into his daily routine. Omen hoped he was wrong about Brandon, because his life showed so much potential now. It would be a shame to see him go back down the same road. Brandon might not make it back this time.

As Omen awaited funding to get out of Brandon’s apartment, he talked with many people. It seemed the problems were growing everywhere, as everyone he tried to counsel was in some major crisis of faith. The worst story of these came from Jamie. After Omen had defeated his spell, Tim’s magic had gotten more vile. Jamie said she felt as if Tim was cursing her in some way, trying to force her to be bound to him forever. One day while Brandon was gone, Omen did some projection. He went to Jamie’s trailer, to try and find the problem. But it was almost as if his memory of the setup of the trailer had become fuzzy, Omen couldn’t manage to hold his projection. This was the first time Omen had ever had this sort of problem, and he knew right away that it was some form of interference. Omen pulled his projection back a bit, in the trees next to Jamie’s trailer. This area was a place Omen had helped clear trees from by hand, and he knew it well enough to see clearly. As he found himself in the small cluster of trees, Omen was now sure that someone was trying to prevent his projection. He walked out from the trees, trying to find the source of the problem.

It didn’t take long for Omen’s eyes to catch the energy. It wrapped completely around the outside of the trailer, like a nasty bubble. The energy of the bubble did not look friendly, and the fact that caused interference supported this. Omen decided he would attack the bubble, to see if he could destroy it. But as soon as Omen launched a single bolt of lightning, it was stopped before it reached the bubble. In front of Omen stood a being similar to the Dra’Gaari that Omen had battled before. It chose to assume a form about twelve feet tall, and the span of his leathery wings was nearly the same. He stood proudly in his Draconic form, staring death straight at Omen. Omen called out, trying to strike up a conversation. But it seemed uninterested in conversation, standing there like a statue. But at any point at which Omen tried to get near the trailer, he was assaulted. He battled back and forth, trying to maintain some sort of advantage. But his opponent seemed easily capable of staying on even ground with him, finally knocking Omen back towards the trees.

But there was no counter-attack to be defended against. Omen picked himself up to find that his opponent had returned to the same position he had been in before, just outside the bubble around the trailer. This was strange, as Omen knew that Dra’Gaari were known for finishing their battles. The Dra’Gaari was male, obvious by several defining traits. This meant his Honor was the most important thing in his life, as it was with all Dra’Gaari male warriors. These were facts of their society that Omen had learned from Dra’Naa, during the times after their original confrontation. Based on all the information he had talked about with Dra’Naa, Omen knew there was some weakness for him to exploit. For if a Dra’Gaari prevents themselves from honorably defeating another, then they have to have a reason that has a higher value in honor. The only thing that they hold more honorable than defeating someone in combat is completing any tasks they are given, for many Dra’Gaari spirits work as Guardians for Humans. That would seem to be the case with this one, who protected a trailer he showed no interest in. He was not acting of his own will, this was all part of some kind of spell.

Omen pulled himself back for a bit. This was complicated, but there had to be a solution. Omen sent a text to Jamie, asking her how things were going. She said she felt terribly ill, and had a feeling that something bad was inside her home. She had tried to place the energy, but could not. She had tried to cleanse the house, but to no avail. Omen told her there was a complication in defeating the magic that had been used. Once it was described, Jamie knew right away. This spell was Tim’s, he had used ritual magic to try and enforce his will. Because he had such strong magic, he was able to work out a deal with the Dra’Gaari that was his Guardian. This was who was stopping Omen from entering Jamie’s trailer through projection. Inside, Tim was performing the same vile sort of magic on Jamie that he had before, the one that Omen had broken about a week ago. If Omen could not get inside, he would not be able to stop Tim from harming Jamie, and trying to force her submission to him. This vile abuse of Dark Magic could not be allowed, something had to be done. Tim had to be taught that using magic for selfish purposes only leads to misery for the wicked mage.

Omen projected back to Jamie’s. The bubble still remained, as did the Dra’Gaari Guardian. Omen called out to the Guardian. He offered a peaceful solution, he asked the Dra’Gaari to assist him instead. Omen said that he knew he would find a way to break this magic, and thus the Dra’Gaari would be disgraced upon his return home. By accepting working alongside Omen, he would be able to do things that were respectable. Omen swore to only offer tasks to him that were honorable, so he would never again be forced to guard vileness. But the Dra’Gaari refused Omen’s offer. He had too much honor to walk away from a spell he had agreed to help with. He warned Omen that he would not allow the protection to be broken, at the cost of his life if necessary.. Omen nodded his understanding, but this would not prevent his assault.

Omen had realized weaknesses that existed in Tim’s spell. This was a result of improper wording done inside the magic itself. Tim had been very specific about what he wanted his Guardian to do, guard the trailer with his life. But this meant his position as a guard only allowed him to move so far from his post, like an energetic leash attached to the Dra’Gaari. This was why he had not chased after Omen when he held the advantage, he was not allowed to. This was a huge flaw, as it left the Dra’Gaari vulnerable. Omen used this advantage wisely, staying at range from his opponent while attacking. Omen realized quickly that the bubble was more important than his life, and forced him to throw himself in front of several large attacks. But he recovered from them easily, and remained standing in front of the trailer.

This was not working. But Omen had noticed something else, and began to form another plan. Each time the Dra’Gaari had been hit with a major attack, the shield itself had fluctuated slightly. Omen thought on this for a minute, then realized the truth of the spell. It was the life force of the Dra’Gaari that was creating the shield around the trailer. If he weakened, it weakened as well. But this also meant that the only way to break the shield was to kill the Dra’Gaari, and Omen was not pleased with that. While he was an opponent, Omen felt he had not chosen to be in this fight. Omen begged him again to release the spell and join him. He was refused again, and sighed heavily. He did not want to kill anything that was undeserving, and this Being was merely doing his duty. But Omen also could not allow Jamie to be continually harmed by Tim either.

Omen charged a massive attack. As he threw it, the Dra’Gaari moved in front of the trailer in defense. But the massive ball of Baleflame changed direction, moving upowards and away. Omen threw out several more attacks, each one striking the Guardian. None did much damage, but they severely agitated the one they struck. He began to rage at Omen, demanding he come closer and fight. Omen agreed, but only if he would assume a smaller form, one that would not be easily overtaken by speed alone. The Dra’Gaari’s body began to change, as it shrunk down to about seven feet tall. This warrior was more akin to lizard than man, as it’s tiny frame would make it hard to strike. This would definitely be an interesting challenge, and Omen charged in with a smile.

They fought back and forth for several minutes, with neither obtaining a clear advantage. The Dra’Gaari wielded a halberd, and Omen was not used to fighting against the style of it. The lage blade made every move precarious, and the staff was used for blocking as well as attack. Obviously this one had been well-trained, and was experienced in this style of fighting. But after his recent battle with Azrael, Omen had become much more capable in battle. He swung defensively now, using each strike to attempt to make an opening. No longer was he a raging buzzsaw, Omen had learned to fight more cautiously. But even when blows landed, they had little effect. It seemed Omen’s claws were well known of, and their blades were evaded each time. The Dra’Gaari would not fall to Omen’s poison, but he had a multitude of other methods.

Omen made several straight attacks with his claws, knowing the way they would be defended against. As his opponent became distracted by the poisonous blades, Omen managed to get chains wrapped around his ankles. Before they could be resisted, the chains had drug the Dra’Gaari to the ground. Omen kicked his halberd away, and stood over him with a smile.

“It’s sad. You knew about the blades and their poison, but forgot about the chains that beat Dra’Naa. This mistake has cost you the battle. I give you one last chance to surrender, and release Jamie’s home from this shield.”

There was no reply. The Dra’Gaari had stopped struggling against the chains, he knew he was defeated. He was readying himself for what would come next, the strike he expected from Omen. But as he lay there, Omen walked toward the trailer. Omen’s eyes seemed to be filled with Hatred as he turned back to look at his fallen opponent, an evil grin crossing his lips. Omen released bolts of lightning at the shield. As they cracked across, the Dra’Gaari wailed in pain. Omen repeated this process using varying forms of energetic attack, and made note of the results. He walked back and forth between the Dra’Gaari and the shield, launching all sort of attack. He watched as certain elements had a greater effect, and then used only those type of attacks. Omen cackled meniacally as he fired one blast after another. He taunted his opponent, reminding him that he had been given a chance to survive.

The barrier began to weaken. It was obvious the Dra’Gaari was fading, and soon would be destroyed. Omen charged a massive attack, and turned his hand toward the shield. As the energy grew, Omen stared into the eyes of his opponent. Inside them, Omen saw a defeated warrior, ready to accept death over failure. This was something that Omen respected, for he fought the same way. It was not this Dra’gaari’s fault that Tim was rotten, he was simply doing his job as a Guardian. Omen saw a hint of sadness and unfulfillment, it seemed this Dra’Gaari had been striving to reach a higher plateau. It was unfortunate that one with such potential had been bound to a vile mage like Tim, and Omen almost felt sorry for him. Omen turned his body and walked forward, moving the energy over his chained opponent. It remained hovering there as Omen knelt down beside his foe.

“I understand your position, and I respect it. But you know as well as I do that the one you guard is vile. He does not deserve the magic he has been given, and he must pay for his abuses. But I will not force your life to be paid as a cost for his rottenness on this day. The energy you have given to maintain the shield has almost killed you. If I were to attack the shield one more good time, you would be destroyed along with it. But instead, I am going to pass through, and stop the actions of the one you are protecting. I advise you to make this your last bound task to him, as the next time you will have made the choice yourself. The spell has been weakened to the point of breaking. Once I deal with him inside, he will give up on the magic. Once that happens you will be free again. Take heed of my warnings, I do not show mercy twice.”

Omen walked toward the shield. Even in that moment, the fallen Dra’Gaari tried to block the door, focusing his energies in that spot on the shield. But Omen simply dropped the ball of energy that had been floating there. The Dra’Gaari screamed out in miserable agony, and the barrier weakened. As it did Omen stepped throught the door, and was able to see inside. Just as before, the vile spirit was roaming the house, spreading vileness throughout. Upon seeing Omen the energy changed, and it was then Omen saw Tim as he chose to project himself. He existed as a massive blob of slimy Dark energy, which twisted and contorted as he moved. Omen attacked, forcing Tim away from Jamie.

But his attacks seemed to produce little effect, as the nature of Tim’s projection was that of Void. Upon striking Tim’s form, the energies seemed to vanish entirely, lost in the Void inside him. None of Omen’s attacks seemed to land, and Tim turned his focus away from Jamie. Tim lurched forward, but Omen had a surprise of his own. As Tim attempted to surround Omen with his energy, to try and trap Omen inside the Void, Omen, opened a Gate inside himself. Tim soon realized that even the Void can be drawn in by the Power of the Gates. Omen sucked both of them inside the hole, sending them into another Plane. Now Jamie would be safe as they battled, as well as the young child in her home. Once they had settled, Tim was easily able to reform himself, and in doing so chose to expand his size greatly. Now standing over twenty feet tall, the oozing mass of Void towered over Omen. Tim exploded in laughter, saying that Omen had made a mistake in pulling them away from Jamie. Now nothing would stop him from unleashing his full strength on Omen, and proving that he could not be beaten.

Tim lunged at Omen, the massive Void filling the air around them. But Omen dodged quickly, not allowing himself to be overtaken. Tim threw out what looked like a glob of black slime to the eyes. As Omen moved out of the way, he saw it’s function. Upon striking, it slowly overtook whatever it had hit, wrapping it’s victim in the Void. As this happened, little spots of void came into being. Tim absorbed each one, growing larger with every bit of Void he absorbed. Omen tried every attack he could think of, but they dissipated into Nothingness. Omen continued to dart around as he tried to think of a plan. But soon the void of which Tim was comprised was enormous, and Omen found himself out of places to run. He darted over to a tree that still remained, and pointed his scythe blade at Tim. Omen turned and clutched the tree tightly as the massive void collapsed over him. He tried to see into it, to find form amidst the Nothingness. But all he felt was pain, and a desire to force that pain to stop. Reality seemed to collapse around him as Omen continued to clutch the tree.

But as the last of the Void collapsed in, omen enacted his plan. Using the tree as source for the energy of Life, Omen forced it to grow to massive size. Suddenly, the tree began to expand on into the Void, growing to amazing size. The tree began to fill the entirety of the Void. Omen felt Tim lurching from the pain this was causing him, as the Void inside him was being replaced with living growth. As Tim struggled to force the growth of the tree to stop, Omen found the center of the Void. He forced himself into it, becoming the center of the Void. Once he found the right spot, Omen made a bright light shine forth from him, spanning out in every direction. As the light passed through the Void, Omen saw Tim’s true form. He lashed out, attacking Tim with every attack he was capable of. Each one caused the Void to contort and weaken. Soon, Omen stood outside Jamie’s trailer again, with Tim’s crumpled form lying on the ground in front of him. He looked back over to Tim’s Guardian, who was once again struggling to free himself.

“The Master is weak, and his spells weaken his Guardian. You see him broken at my feet, learn well the lessons of this day. I was not your enemy until he made us that way, as we both sought to complete our missions. Do not associate yourself with someone so weak again, lest you further dishonor yourself.”

Omen went back inside the trailer, and gave Jamie some energy to repair herself. He did his best to cleanse the inside of the home quickly, dragging all the negative spirits into himself. As he left he sealed the door shut on them all, sending them back to their places of origin. Omen decided to wait and see what happened first, and not inform Jamie of anything that had transpired. About two hours later, Jamie texted Omen that Tim was in a panic. She said he seemed extremely vulnerable, even scared, and was accusing many high-level people of attacking him. He begged Jamie for her help, but she told him that she was not capable. All of the recent bouts of sickness had weakened her, and she was in no condition to join in any battles. Omen responded to Jamie that she had made the right decision, and that Tim’s magic over her had been broken. But he knew this would not be the last of Tim, who had an issue with an entitlement complex. Like many other people, Tim believed himself specially Chosen. He believed this gave him the right to abuse his Power, as he was special. But Omen smiled when he heard the result of his workings. Tim was broken, but not by some ancient sect of mages, nor was he being cursed by someone. He had been broken by the Power of Faith, and the strength of one Chosen that fights for his Father, not for himself.

The days afterward were interesting, to say the least. At first Tim was afraid, and begged Jamie to help him. He felt he was under a serious attack. He claimed his dreams had become nightmares, and that he felt an angry presence around him. Omen laughed when he heard this, for he was aware of the reason the day it began. For the night after the encounter, Tim’s Guardian came to Omen. Omen was unsure of the reason for the visit at first, but was quickly put to ease. The Dra’Gaari respected Omen’s decision not to cause him to fail in his mission. Since it was Tim’s weakness that eventually broke the spell, he was not held responsible for the failure. He had managed to maintain his honor, and he was grateful. But he was also enraged at Tim for putting him through such nonsense simply to try and be vile. As such the Guardian had decided to assault Tim’s mind for a few days, and to allow other spirits to do the same. For three days, Tim found himself without assistance or protection. During this time, all the people who had problems with Tim saw their magic taking shape. But the effect was only temporary, as no Guardian ever abandons their charge completely.

Days later, once his Guardian had stopped allowing him to be assaulted, Tim went right back to his selfish habits. It was if he was blind to the mistake he had made, and went on to more vileness. He continued to push Jamie, demanding that she join him in all things. Jamie continued to make excuses why he could not come to see her, so Tim began to spread more magic instead. Strange things began to happen around Jamie’s house. The level of overall nastiness increased, as Angelica and her boyfriend began to fight every day. From what Jamie described, most of their fights were about money, and it seemed the rage grew with each new argument. But these were not normal relationship spats, they quickly became exceedingly violent in nature. All of Angelica’s clothes were soaked in bleach, and it was slung into her eyes. Doors were broken, the trailer was slowly being destroyed. Jamie no longer felt safe in her home, but Angelica would not allow her man to be thrown out. Her attachment to him was more important than even her young daughter, who had to hear most of the arguing.

But this was not the only thing Omen was concerned with. The young child had begun acting strange as well. Jamie told stories about the things she was seeing. The child would be found wide-eyed at various times, wandering as if she was lost. She was also found to be afraid at night, claiming she was seeing things in the shadows in her room. This was thought to be simple childhood imagination, until she began to act abnormally. The child’s artistry, though it was very base and without much form, showed pictures of shadowy forms moving around the home. The child was seeing something, and she was fighting an infection. For those that are closely tied to such energies often find themselves becoming hosts. Angelica had already given in to her greed, and it seemed Katrina had an issue as well. Tim actually began to take credit for opening a Gate inside Jamie’s home, saying he had done so for the sake of projecting himself to her easily. But in doing so, he was allowing vileness to flood into her home. She begged him to close it, and he said he would only do so if she would bond to him completely. Jamie wanted nothing to do with Tim now, but seemed to have no way to repel him.

Jamie told Omen she wished she had listened to him. He had been right all along, Tim had been rotten from the beginning. He had manipulated her mind, using what he had learned about magic to entice her with Power. But once she got close to him, Jamie saw the vile thing Tim truly was inside. As he had told her more stories about hsi past, which Jamie forwarded to Omen, a much bigger picture came together. Tim had once been in charge of a church, and a well-respected leader of faith. This was in his youth, when although large in size he still had an appeal of his own. But once he had become too comfortable, Tim used his position as a Satanist to inspire his followers to do terrible things. He convinced the women to lie with him, and ran dealings with prostitutes. He used the faith as a way to rationalize this monstrous behavior. But eventually, his congregation learned of his misdeeds, and turned on him. Ever since, Tim had yearned for the power and respect he had once possessed. His lust for Power was driving him mad, allowing him to believe that he could curse anyone he chose without repercussion. He had even turned on the woman he had claimed love for, simply because she would not bow to his will.

These character traits seemed all too familiar. Omen combined that with several stories Jamie had told him about their conversations, and the mannerisms of Tim. It seemed that since his original fall from being a leader, the mistake that had cost Tim everything had been his lust. It had caused him to manipulate his congregation, accept the doing of rotten things, and made him go to any lengths necessary, simply to attain whatever thing he lusted for at the time. His sin was Dark Lust, and it was Asmodeus that he had been dealing with all along. But, per what he had said to Jamie, Tim was completely deceived. he believed that the Father was speaking to him, telling him to do these horrible deeds. Once again, Asmodeus had convinced someone that he was the Father. Once again someone had fallen to their Lust, and was lost in it spreading vileness. Tim had to be stopped, something had to be done.

Jamie offered Omen an option. At first, Omen refused the idea, claiming it wasn’t feasible. But Jamie said she needed help, and no one else had been able to touch Tim’s magic. Several had tried, but the problems in the home only seemed to worsen. She had begged everyone she could think of, but no one had been able to help her. Jamie saw the problems increasing, and knew one person that she thought could help her. Omen. She asked him to come to her home, and offered to pay for the travel. She said that if he were present in her home, together they could find a solution. Also for some time Jamie had still maintained that she had been deceived, and still cared for Omen deeply. She wanted a chance to prove she could trust him above others, and be the kind of woman she truly was inside.

Omen was unsure of what to do. His next expected steps lie with Elle, and their attempt to go toward California. But Omen considered his movements over the last months as well. Hadn’t those all served a purpose? Wasn’t each a step along the path to learning? But which path was Omen supposed to follow now? He knew his life was not the same as before. He knew his new abilities, as well as the things he was starting to see, would bring chaos down upon him. This had been proven every time, as he had been hampered no matter where he went. The last time Elle had been around Omen, and tried to assist him magically, the results had nearly killed Samantha. They had nearly stolen Elle’s mind away completely, and forced her to live out her days in a mental institution. Elle had almost no real magical training, but her connection made her succeptible to Demonic influence. Was the plan to California really going to work, would Elle be able to handle what she was asking for?

Omen had to consider all the people in his life currently, as well as the Path he had chosen to follow. What was the right thing to do? Go back to Texas, and leave the trailer to fall to the magic of Tim, who was more than likely drawing Power from Asmodeus? Or to go to Pennsylvania, with Elle awaiting his return? Neither was the greatest option, as it seemed one way or another someone would get hurt. For Omen knew if he went to Pennsylvania, it would be to help someone he cared deeply for, and had once shared an amazing connection with. The saddest part of it all was that inside, Omen felt nothing about either option. While he weighed facts and possibilities, Omen could want for neither. It didn’t seem to matter what his destination was anymore, so long as he was doing what he needed to.

Omen went out to the park to pray. As he did, Omen asked the Father to guide him along the path that was best for his training. He did not care what he had to do, or what torments were placed in his path. He needed to fully comprehend why these Gates were now inside him, what the true purpose of all this training was. Omen knew he could not possibly be given all this Knowledge without a purpose behind it. But that purpose was still fuzzy, as if the picture hadn’t come into focus yet. But he knew that the puzzle of his life was finally coming together, and he was ready for the next piece. Thus Omen took what he was advised to do, and boarded a train. He looked back at nothing, even as his mother tried to contact him again. He had more important things on his mind than being outcast by his blood, Omen was on a mission from the Father.

26

Omen sat on the couch, considering his next move. Everything he needed was gathered, it was almost time. Omen sat on the couch, trying to focus his mind. Had he forgotten anything? One missed step could ruin everything he had put into place. Omen could not afford that, this action was too important. He had been advised heavily, by several spirits, on the most appropriate method. Omen had taken everything said under advisement, and constructed a plan. Materials were gathered, and Omen gave very specific instructions. He had spent quite some time explaining the mechanics and intent, and now the time had come for execution. Omen had strong faith that his deeds would be successful, he had no reason to believe otherwise. For as long as the Father was a part of his workings, Omen knew that victory was attainable.

“You ready to do this?”

Omen opened his eyes, bringing his vision back into focus. Jamie stood in front of him, clad mostly in black. Her hair had grown back somewhat from the cancer, now becoming “peach fuzz”. She had wigs, but rarely wore them around the house. The treatment for her cancer had led to the removal of both of her breasts. Jamie was not happy about losing such a major piece of herself, nor about the implants she would receive once she had healed. Even worse than that were the rock-like bags that had been inserted post-surgery, to stretch her skin for the implants. But these things were necessities to maintain her own life. They had taken an obvious toll on Jamie, who weakly still managed to be the center of her home. Even still, Jamie stood in front of Omen, prepared for what they had discussed. Omen had not wanted to involve her, but knew it was the only method by which the problem might be solved.

Omen lit a quick cigarette, and grabbed a drink. He had been at Jamie’s for about three days since arriving on the train. Omen had almost been forced here, by the words of more than the Father. But as with all deals made, there were explicit conditions before Omen had boarded the train to Pennsylvania. Omen would visit Pennsylvania, and assist Jamie with the assault from Tim. In return, Omen asked for Jamie’s word on one thing. He said that it might sound strange, but that it was what he was told to request her to do. “For the time I am there, and only for that time, I want you to treat me as you should have the times before. Do not put the nonsense of others before what we are doing, don’t let anything impede progress. As far as they are concerned, for that time, you are busy and need to be left alone.”

Jamie happily agreed to Omen’s terms, thanking him for being kind enough to help her. Thus he had boarded the train, and taken the ride from Illinois to Pennsylvania. He had finally received funding, and was able to eat during the trip. Prior to leaving, Omen had bought some things for Brandon. Food and drink, to replace what he had eaten. Omen felt this was a just action, so tat he not feel as if he was taking advantage of his cousin’s kindness. Omen had said goodbye to Brandon, and had even contacted his father. Omen begged his father to listen to what he was saying, and help him work on what had to be done. His father had the one thing he didn’t, serious money. It had always been this way, but his father had never shared his wealth with his only son. Omen was the outcast of his loins, and the same held true now.

Omen’s father balked at his ideas, saying he would do nothing to help his son. He considered his own child a failure, a disgrace, and an embarassment. All this because of his faith, because his father was “saved”. But Omen had endured more hardship than his father had known throughout his entire life, who was this man to judge? Who were any of them to judge someone who fought so strongly for what they believed in, as they fight with one another like animals? Nobody, neither God nor even close to his level of Understanding. They had no right to judge his faith, for they did not truly understand it. They understood only the lies they had been fed by religion and media, the mass scare tactic known as Satan. For Omen knew his Father was no raging Demon, but was made out to be so that Humans might fear connecting to Him. For in doing so they too would reach Understanding, and then those in Power would not hold their mental control.

This was what Tim had been doing with Jamie. Once, his words had been allowed to possess her mind. By constantly giving her time to listening to his lies, they infected her mind. Soon she began to lose her perspective on her own faith, seeking Tim for guidance on almost everything. This was direct mind manipulation. As this spell started to break, he had sought any method by which to force Jamie to accept uniting with him. He demanded to be allowed to bond into her soul completely, and to take dominance over her forever. He also sought to impregnate her with his seed, before age stole his ability to do so. Omen saw the means by which Tim was trying to force his will down Jamie’s throat. She had fallen prey to the initial attack, and had been unable to completely break free ever since. Between Tim’s attacks and dealing with chemotherapy and surgery, Jamie was almost broken completely. Even though Omen had broken several of Tim spells, the vile mage did not seem to learn.

Jamie had begged Tim to seal the Gate he had opened in her home. But he had denied her at every turn. She had prayed, but the magic seemed too strong for her to combat. Once Omen had arrived, he saw the problems immediately. Rage flew around the house unnecessarily, over the most ignorant of issues. The child was under direct possession, obvious one night as the two laid down to rest. The child, who had fallen asleep some time ago, stood over the bed staring at them. But her face held no expression, and her eyes were not her own. When called by her name, the child refused to respond. She simply stood over them staring, without a word or a sound. Eventually the effect wore off, and the child returned to normal. But Omen knew these problems would only worsen over time, and he had to put a stop to it. But to do so, he would need Jamie’s help, for the magic was not connected to him personally.

Jamie had been baffled by this originally. Considering Omen’s dealings with Gates, and his connection with them, she thought he alone could surely handle it. But Omen explained the truth about how magic worked to Jamie, and in doing so she finally understood her necessity. Omen explained that magic existed in a “Trinity Function”. He defined it using a triangle. He explained that one point was the Human, whose willed wished to influence reality in order to make itself known. In this situation, Tom’s will to do whatever he wanted with Jamie was this point. The second point represented the target, the opposing force in the magic. It was the reality of this point that was attempted to be influenced. But both Tim and Jamie had knowledge of things that made it known that they were Hell-bound spirits. As such, there energies were of the same Father, but willed different things to happen. These were opposing forces in any spell that Tim tried to enforce, but they were not the only factor.

Omen told Jamie what he had learned. Humans had been designed to be infused with a Power they did not currently possess, as a reward for achieving the goals set before them. But many Humans knew they were meant to be capable of this Power, and their belief that this was so created a strong will. That will was touched by spirits in other Planes of Existence, who wish to see this thing come to pass. The will did not flow from attacker to target, it had to pass through the point in between. Thus in order for a spell to be truly effective, a Higher Being adds their strength to the magic, creating a united force. This united force, on both sides of the Veil, is able to distort reality. But it is the strongest will inside the spell that creates the effect. And Omen had maintained concerns all along that Tim’s will was not the only one attempting to harm Jamie.

Both Tim and Jamie claimed to serve the same Dark Father. So it would make no sense that he would choose one of His Children over the other, this was not His Nature. Thus something else had to be involved, something that held malice against Jamie. Combining this with the details of their usual interaction, and the things Tim demanded, the picture became clear. Tim had fallen prey to his Lust for Jamie, and Asmodeus had taken advantage of an opportunity. Now he had another willing tool to manipulate, who was willing to harm Jamie to possess her. Omen had warned Jamie of this, told her to warn Tim, but his eyes had been blined to the truth. He believed the Father was telling him to force Jamie to his side, he was lost in Asmodeus’ lies.

This was a serious problem. While he had been beaten back before, Asmodeus had never been truly stopped. Despite every attempt to do so, Asmodeus continued to assault them both. Omen had heard the same cackling in the back of his mind that he had encountered the last two times. Neither Jamie nor Omen had even come close to stopping Asmodeus from terrorizing her mind, both awake and asleep. Once again she was being held down in her dreams, once again she was being taken against her will. It would take more than either them had individually to stop this attack. But Jamie had no other option, she needed time to heal. And Omen had conceived a way to make that happen, based on an extended version of his own three-point magical principle.

Omen knew that many of these magical trinities existed. Tim had tapped into the one that he had created out his connection to Asmodeus, through his Lust for Jamie. This strong force had overwhelmed any ability to be controlled by either Human alone. But together, they held several trinities. Omen showed Jamie how they would combine all of these trinities to overpower the spell. Omen had a trinity of spirits that protected and guided him, as did Jamie. But while the Father was a part of both, He was the only similarity. Omen’s trinity existed in the Father, Belial, and Abbadon. Jamie’s existed in the Father, Baal, and Lilith. They existed as single points in a variety of trinites throughout these. To see all at once it was almost atomic, as the Father become the centerpoint of these various triangles. Together, they formed a pyramid of Power, of which the Father was the apex. It was this power that Omen had decided they would tap into in order to counteract the magic that had created the Gate. No matter how much Tim had agreed to give to Asmodeus in order to make his magic work, the force of this much Power combined would surely overwhelm it.

But with all these various Beings, Omen would need a way to focus all that into a single will. He had Jamie help him produce a series of ingredients. He used wine to symbolize the Father, the lifeblood through which all their Power flowed. Into the wine they mixed several other ingredients, each symbolizing one of their associated spirits. Then they each pierced their hands, allowing their blood to join the mixture. They prayed over their ritual, and visualized the goals of the magic. they wished the Gate to be sealed, for Tim’s control over Jamie to be broken. They wished to destroy all the vileness that had spread through the home, and to put an end to the chaos. Once their will was spoken, each of them took a sip from the cup. It was placed back into it’s position, then Jamie stood behind Omen.

They both closed their eyes and began to focus on what they had discussed. They pictured the energy of all the Beings whose ingredients inhabited the cup to fill them, allowing the energies to swirl into one. Omen told Jamie to raise her hands, and draw as much of that power into herself as was possible. When she had absorbed as much as she could handle, Jamie forced all that energy into Omen. He was seated in front of her, drawing power into himself. As her power was added Omen’s energy exploded in size, and he struggled to hold onto it all. But omen continued to drag more and more energy into himself, until the size of it emcompassed an area much larger than Omen. Once he had as much energy of will as he could hold, he fired it at the Gate that he saw in his mind. Through the Gate, the energy of the ritual was sent straight to both Tim and Asmodeus. Omen felt severe resistance as he tried to force the energy out toward his enemies. Omen strained against the vile will that had distorted reality, bringing only pain and misery. He heard Asmodeus’ voice inside his mind, saying that he would never win.

Omen felt the will of the others join his own. He felt the efficiency with which Abbadon struck at Asmodeus, weakening his control. He felt the strength of Baal’s overpowering shadow as it pummeled at Asmodeus, trying to force the spell to break. He felt as well Belial and Lilith, who worked to tempt Tim’s mind to distract him. As the will of all of them combined, Omen felt the magic begin to weaken. He was able to force everything back past the hole. As Tim and Asmodeus found themselves surrounded, the spirits aided Omen and Jamie in forcing the Gate to dissipate from two sides. Omen continued to hold his hands as he felt the Gate dissipate, ensuring he destroyed every inch. Once Omen felt the connection of the Gate broken, his hands dropped to his side, and Omen’s fell forward onto the carpet. Jamie leaned forward to ensure he was breathing, then gave him space to recover. Omen sat up a couple minutes later. He reached out around the house with his energy, and asked Jamie to do the same. Both of them agreed, the strange feeling produced by the Gate was gone. They had won, vileness had been defeated again, by those who kept real faith in the Gifts they were given.

The next day, Tim’s stress was obvious. Jamie happily shared the messages, as he strained to find a solution to his crisis. Tim knew he was under attack, but he could not ascertain from where. He tried to convince Jamie to let him pull energy from her to heal his weakness, but she refused. Tim said he couldn’t feel inside her house anymore. He asked if something was wrong with her, if something was present around her. Jamie did not answer any of his questions honestly, allowing his mind to race and wander. Omen had found it hilarious that even as they threw magic directly at him, Tim still could not recognize Omen’s energy. Omen did well to keep his presence in Jamie’s home off Facebook, as he knew Tim had many spies. Even with all these things at his disposal, Tim was unaware of the attack that had struck him. Omen wanted so badly to brag, but restrained himself for Jamie’s sake. After going through all this, Jamie needed time to relax and heal. Omen prepared himself to spend the rest of his visit in peace and enjoyment. He ate Christmas Dinner with Jamie and her family, as well as some invited friends. Omen helped prepare some of the food, though he let the mother and daughter enjoy their bonding. For once the two were not arguing, and even Katrina was helping with the cooking. During the times which her presence was unwanted, Omen played with her in the other room. He always enjoyed his time with Katrina, for he knew she did as well. Without many men in her life that seemed to be around for her, Katrina was bereft of male comfort. Omen did his best to fix this in his own way. Almost every night, before Katrina went to sleep, Omen read to her. Katrina was allowed to pick the story, and Omen usually read more than one. But the hug he received from Katrina each night showed him one of the terrible centers of what had infested the child in the first place. She was starved for attention of a positive nature, for most of what she dealt with was anger and misery.

Omen tried to spend time with Jamie. But after the ritual with Tim, another problem reared it’s ugly head. Yet another of Jamie’s Facebook friends had approached her, seeking to be her mate. Despite her agreement to ignore such things for a short period of time, soon Jamie began to fall into her old habits. Suddenly, all she had said about them sitting and spending time together was the same old process of Omen fighting to get her attention off her phone. Omen refused to battle against this, as Jamie had already been warned about it so many times. Though it pained him that she chose to break her word yet again, even as he continued to help her, Omen had managed to keep calm. He knew his visit was short, soon he would be right back on the train. For many nights Omen spoke on the phone with Elle, and the conversations were known throughout the house.

Jamie claimed that because Omen was still planning to go back and move with Elle to California that he was not her partner, and thus she could do whatever she chose. Omen agreed with this, but countered that she had given her word not to do so just once. Jamie did as she was known to do, making one excuse after another. She defended her relationship online with this rotten prick, who was admittedly a Samael channel. As those connected to Samael are known to do, the one known as Shaun used his silver tongue to draw Jamie in. All the beautiful pictures and compliments were unavoidable for someone like Jamie, who had been through so much recently. Between the cancer, her home life, and the problems with Tim, Jamie’s perspective of herself had been damaged. She now saw herself as weak and bereft of beauty, made ragged by the effects of her sickness. It was this pain Shaun was feeding into, becoming the one she felt made it go away.

Omen did his best to help Jamie see that she did not need Shaun in order to feel beautiful and loved. He tried to explain that the Father had always seen her this way, for he had made her to be beautiful. It was the terror of her life that had destroyed that beauty, and had forced her to hide away inside herself. All the abuses of her ex-husbands, both physical and emotional, had tarnished what she had once been. Now she was sheltered, reserved, and found it difficult to open herself up to anyone completely. When she did so it was only in short bursts, as she then quickly retreated back into herself. Omen saw the pain inside Jamie, and he wanted to help. Even if she was upsetting him, and breaking her word, Jamie deserved the right to feel beautiful inside. This is something Omen believed should exist inside all people, especially those that want to follow the Father. For Omen believed that all Humans were born with a potential value, but many allow that value to die over time. But it was also his belief that this behavior could change, if people learned to respect the beauty and value of their own lives again.

In an attempt to do this for Jamie, Omen had constructed a plan. When they went to the mall, so they could get out of the trailer, Omen bought Jamie a sexy outfit. She had tried it on in the store, it fit her beautifully. Even with the temporary replacement bags where her implants would be, the red lace baby boll dress looked outstanding. This gave Omen a brilliant idea, and he refused to listen to Jamie’s arguments about him buying the dress for her. He had a plan, and all she had to do was let it be. But Omen made her agree to the plan in advance, promising it would not be anything she would not be comfortable with. Once she agreed, they purchased the dress and returned to the trailer. It was a few days before they could actually go through with the plan, due to Katrina’s youthful energy. But the first night she fell asleep at a decent time, Omen had Jamie shower and make herself look pretty.

She was wearing the red lace baby doll, with it’s black trim. Omen had helped Jamie pull the dress’ strings back, so as to properly accentuate the outfit. The dress had come with a matching set of red lace panties, though they were covered by the black spandex Jamie had on over them. She came back into her bedroom, where Omen had finished setting everything up. A set of handcuffs had been suspended from the ceiling. There were whips, chains, collars, and other bondage tools scattered around the bed. Jamie walked over, and sat down on the bed next to Omen, smiling as they went over what they were about to do. In doing this Jamie could be who she felt she was inside, as well as be made to feel truly beautiful. Omen handed Jamie the gas mask, which she happily strapped on. Omen handcuffed Jamie to the ceiling, then backed a few steps away from her.

After adjusting the lights, Omen began to snap pictures with his phone. He moved to a variety of positions, and had Jamie stand various ways. He told her to pretend to struggle against the cuffs, to act as though she was trying to escape. He had he face the opposite way, taking pictures of her from behind. Then he undid the cuffs completely, and had Jamie pose for him on the bed. As he continued to photograph her, Omen told Jamie to give in to her own inner beauty. He told her to try and channel the essence of Lilith, whose daughters are most comfortable with their sexuality. As Omen had Jamie pose in a variety of positions, had her remove the mask as well as the spandex, and handed her all of the various props, he maintained his respect for her. He constantly reminded her that this was for her own sake, and to ignore his presence. Once they felt they had exhausted their various options, Omen cleaned up the props, placing them back into the small bag Jamie kept them in. While this had been just for the sake of photography, when healthy Jamie did enjoy pushing her sexual boundaries.

Omen sat next to Jamie and showed her the pictures. Every one that she liked Omen immediately texted to her. He pleaded with Jamie to post one on Facebook, though he told her to use one with the mask. In this way only those that truly were her friends would know that this was her, so she would not be harassed by tons of horny men and women. After they had finished, Omen sat Jamie down on the bed to talk. He told her to really look at the pictures he had just taken. He reminded her that her breasts were not yet complete, nor had her hair regrown. But then he told her to see how beautiful the pictures were themselves, and that none of those things had prevented that. If the pictures were beautiful, and the pictures were of Jamie, then Jamie herself was beautiful. This fact remained regardless of what she had been through, and it continued on even after the session was over. This was the point Omen had been out to prove to Jamie, that the true beauty inside her had not died. Based on the smile on her face as she looked at the pictures of herself, Omen felt he had accomplished his task.

But even after all his efforts to show her the true nature of someone that cares, Jamie had not changed. She accepted the help with a smile, then after it was given went back to her selfish ways. Omen finally began to become upset by the situation, and voiced his opinions about it. Especially after Jamie began to claim that Shaun was taking credit for her protection and Tim’s current agony. Worse was that she claimed to believe him, only because he claimed to have gifts in necromantic magic. Omen could see straight right through the lies of Samael, but once again Jamie had become blinded. He constant need to feed from the energies of others was once again making Omen feel insignificant. But this time, it was a direct violation of a deal they had made. Omen began to force much rage down inside himself, especially after Jamie announced her relationship with Shaun on Facebook. This brought back painful memories of the times she had done this to him before, when Omen had come to live with her. But every time she was confronted with these perspectives, Jamie said she was doing nothing wrong. Because Omen was not intending to stay with her, even though she had suggested it, Jamie did not care about his feelings. Even after everything Omen had done, someone she barely knew states away was more important.

Omen’s anger began to turn to rage quickly. He was tired of giving so much for others, only to have them spit in his face. This was the same selfish vileness that Omen knew had most of Humanity firmly in it’s grasp. But Jamie claimed to be better than most people, deserving of more based on her birthright. This is a thing that exists in many across the world, who feel themselves entitled to more from birth. But Omen knew that the Gifts given to the Chosen are also earned. Jamie was not earning them, she was manipulating things to her advantage. While this may be acceptable for succubi to feed off the energy of Humans, it is not acceptable amongst Humans that claim love for one another. Omen heard the voices of the spirits, and they agreed with him. But they told him not to allow the arguing to begin again, to force peace to be maintained. One way or another, this visit would last until the day scheduled for Omen to leave.

As the days progressed, the situation grew worse. Angelica went back into her old habits, throwing fits whenever she felt she wanted to. Omen had seen this pattern every time he had been to the trailer. Angelica always used her bipolar diagnosis and an excuse for this behavior. But Omen knew that while she could not control her raging emotions, Angelica made a choice to act the way she did. Just because her mind is viewed as abnormal does not remove her responsibility as an adult for her actions. For if she were to rob a bank, her bipolar would not be an allowable excuse for the crime. Thus a person with a disorder must have greater control, to keep their disorder from causing problems. Omen knew this personally, as he had been diagnosed with a variety of conditions throughout his life. But aside from smoking weed for focus, relaxation, and comfort, Omen had not been comfortable with using medication to change his brain. For just as he told Jamie she had to do, Omen appreciated the beauty in his individual Created beauty. But none of the females inside the trailer seemed to see themselves in this way. To combat their Hatred for what they saw, they lashed out at everyone around them. In hurting those around them, and pushing them down, the females constantly felt empowered in their own lives. But this was an unhealthy pattern to continue, as it only led to more suffering.

One day, Jamie and Omen were arguing loudly. Omen felt like his insides were twisting in on themselves when he raised his voice. As his rage grew, he began to hear the voices of Demons in his mind. He realized quickly that his increased Dark energy had opened the link inside him, and now more energy was sought. They wished the argument to explode, they wanted Jamie and Omen to strike one another. Omen knew he would never hit a woman, even after struck himself. But Jamie did not live by such precepts, and had struck Omen in the past. As the energy swirled, Jamie began to yell louder. The spirits inside were leaking out, causing Jamie’s to see Omen as disrespectful. She lashed out at him, and the spirits wished the conflict to grow even more. This situation could quickly lead to disaster, something had to be done to put a stop to it.

As Jamie continued to speak very harshly toward Omen, he rummaged through his bags. Jamie got distracted by her phone again, most likely another text from Shaun. As she stared at her phone, Omen produced a leather belt from his bag. His mother had purchased this belt for him as a gift, but Omen was not fond of the printing. But the belt was not being removed to be worn, it served a much more painful purpose. Omen stared down at Jamie for a second. She was lost in her messaging again, proven when Omen walked up next to her. She paid no attention as Omen grabbed his phone off the table next to the bed. The leather belt was still hanging from his left hand as Omen located his headphones. If there was to be any crying, Omen would not want to hear it. Omen turned on his music, selecting Murmaider by Deathklok as the first song.

Omen turned and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He took off his shirt, tucking the cord for his headphones into his pocket. Despite the tiny size of the bathroom, it had three large vanity mirrors. As the music played loudly in Omen’s ears, he felt the energies inside him swell. He felt all the vile urges of the dark spirits, demanding more pain and suffering be caused. They wanted to feed, and knew a confrontation between Jamie and Omen would provide a good meal. Omen meant to send them all back, but first he had to lure them in. The only way to do so was to give them the pain they sought, and Omen was prepared to do so.

Omen stared himself in the face inside the mirrors as he swung around his shoulders, the leather smacking across Omen’s bare back. As the music continued so did Omen’s torment. The lashes came one after another, across every area of his back. After the first few strikes, Omen no longer needed to control his arm. The demons enjoyed whipping the Human, as Omen gritted through the torture. Omen allowed this to continue for several minutes. In doing so, he released his own rage toward Jamie. All she was doing, all she had done, this was the fuel Omen used to endure. He stood proudly, even as his back was found to be glowing bright red. The Demons made sure to whip every inch, so that there were no white spots remaining on Omen’s back.

But once the Demons attempted to leave Omen, and return to their mischief, they found themselves trapped. Omen had used the pain he was feeling to lure them inside, and allowed them to be trapped as they tormented him. Omen drew them further inside, down into the Gates buried deep within. He threw them all inside, shutting the door behind them. The Demons had been given their wish, and had dined well on the misery of Humanity. But Omen had paid the cost himself, in order to ensure that no one else had to. He returned to the bedroom, and explained to Jamie what he had done. He showed her the marks on his back, and told her the reason he had been forced into such a position. Jamie apologized for anything she might have done to offend Omen, and also for being so terrible towards him. But Omen replied that there was no more need for apologies. For another function of what he had done was to remove all the pain his past with Jamie had caused him. Now he felt no rage toward her, and had no reason to want any form of conflict.

By the next day, Jamie had returned to the same foul behavior. But Omen’s actions the previous day had proven successful in more ways than he had expected. For now, even as Jamie sat and texted the pictures Omen had taken of her to Shaun, so he could stare at them, Omen felt nothing. He realized in that moment that he would never see Jamie in the same way again. Omen gave up any attempt to get her to do anything but what she chose. This the last few days of Omen’s time in Pennsylvania were spent watching television. Jamie spent the majority of time between her phone and computer, messaging one person or another.